President Trump [EPA Yonhap News]

U.S. President Donald Trump is strongly considering withdrawing from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the British daily The Telegraph reported on the 31st (local time).

In an interview with the media, President Trump responded to a question about whether he would reconsider the U.S.'s continued NATO membership after a potential war with Iran, saying, "Yes. I would say it's past reconsideration."

"I've never been impacted by NATO," he claimed. "I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin (Russian President Vladimir Putin) knows it too."

The Telegraph interpreted this as the strongest signal yet that the White House no longer considers Europe a reliable defense partner.

With Iran effectively blockading the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump has strongly criticized NATO's European allies for not actively supporting the U.S. in an attack on Iran and for not deploying forces to the Strait of Hormuz.

"It was unbelievable," President Trump said. "I wasn't trying to persuade them that much, just saying 'Hey,' and not pushing too hard. I thought it should be automatic," referring to allied support at the request of the U.S.

"We were there automatically, including for Ukraine," he added. "Ukraine wasn't our problem. It was a test of sorts, and we were there for them. They weren't there for us."

Regarding U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's earlier remarks in an interview with Fox News that the U.S. should reconsider its NATO membership after the war, President Trump said he was "glad" Pompeo said that.

Major European allies have refused to intervene in the war, including the Spanish government's denial of passage for U.S. military aircraft through its airspace, Italy's refusal to allow the use of a Sicilian airbase, and Poland's rejection of deploying Patriot air defense systems to the Middle East.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who refused the use of British military bases for the U.S.'s first airstrikes on Iran, has repeatedly stated that the UK's role is limited to providing air defense support for Middle East partners.

NATO Summit in June 2025 [UPI Yonhap News] 

In his interview with The Telegraph, President Trump lashed out at the UK, saying, "You don't have a navy. It's decrepit, and your aircraft carriers don't even work." After being refused deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump also mocked British aircraft carriers as "toys."

When asked if he thought Prime Minister Starmer should increase defense spending, Trump severely criticized him, saying, "Do whatever you want. It doesn't matter. All Starmer wants is expensive wind turbines that will skyrocket energy prices." Even when relations between President Trump and Prime Minister Starmer were good, Trump argued that the UK should abandon wind power and focus on developing North Sea oil fields.

On the 27th of last month, The Telegraph reported, citing Trump's close associates, that the president was considering excluding member states that fall short of NATO's defense spending target of 5% of GDP from the decision-making process.

Sources also stated that President Trump is revisiting the withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in Germany, a move he has been considering since taking office last year.