Donald Trump has confirmed that he is seriously considering leading the U.S. to withdraw from NATO after being disappointed that the alliance did not support military action against Iran. But does he have the authority to follow through on this?
CNN reported that since the start of the conflict with Iran over a month ago, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO member countries. In his last two interviews, he said he is considering pulling America out of the organization.
Although Trump claims he can withdraw the country from the alliance, a law passed by Congress in 2023 states that “the president shall not suspend, terminate, abrogate, or withdraw the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty” unless done “with the advice and consent of the Senate by a two-thirds vote of the members present or in accordance with a law enacted by Congress.”
In a March interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Senator Tom Tillis, a senior Republican member of the Senate NATO Observer Group, said it is “not factually true” that Trump can withdraw the U.S. from NATO without Congress.
“The president of the United States cannot withdraw from NATO, but having said that, the president can 'poison' (undermine the relationship) or practically disrupt the organization if he wants to,” Tillis said, defending the NATO alliance after Trump labeled them as “cowards” who refused to assist the U.S.
However, a 2020 legal opinion from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) states that the president holds plenary authority over treaties.
Meanwhile, information from a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report notes that unilateral U.S. withdrawal from NATO could ultimately depend on judicial interpretation and analysis.
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Source:cnn