{"slug":"trump-nato-article-5-undermining","title":"Trump's Systematic Undermining of NATO: Threatening Withdrawal, Refusing Article 5","date":"2017-05-25","lastUpdated":"2024-02-10","description":"Throughout both presidential terms, Trump systematically attacked the NATO alliance, threatened to withdraw, refused to explicitly affirm Article 5 mutual defense in a major address, stated he would 'encourage' Russian attacks on NATO members who didn't pay 2% of GDP, and privately told European leaders the U.S. might not honor its treaty obligations. These actions emboldened Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, and created the first genuine uncertainty about U.S. commitment to NATO collective defense since the alliance's founding in 1949.","summary":"Trump's first clear signal came in May 2017 at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where he delivered a speech at the unveiling of a 9/11 memorial wall without explicitly affirming Article 5 collective defense — the alliance's core commitment. His aides later said the affirmation had been removed from the speech at Trump's direction. Over the following years, Trump repeatedly demanded NATO allies pay 2% of GDP on defense, threatened withdrawal, and reportedly told European leaders in private that the U.S. might not come to their aid. In February 2024, during the 2024 campaign, Trump stated publicly that he would 'encourage' Russia to attack NATO members who he thought hadn't paid enough.","category":"foreign-policy","severity":"critical","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/25/world/europe/trump-nato-speech-article-5.html","title":"Trump Gives Speech at NATO Without Explicitly Endorsing Article 5","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-privately-threatens-to-pull-us-from-nato-if-members-dont-spend-more-on-defense/2018/06/15/c474d0dc-70a5-11e8-afd5-778aca903bbe_story.html","title":"Trump privately threatened to pull U.S. from NATO","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/trump-nato-russia-encourage-attack-2024","title":"Trump says he would encourage Russia to attack NATO members who don't pay","publisher":"The Associated Press"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["NATO","Article-5","Russia","first-term","foreign-policy","alliance"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2017-05-25","title":"Trump speaks at NATO — omits Article 5 affirmation","summary":"Trump delivers an address at NATO headquarters in Brussels that includes no explicit affirmation of Article 5 collective defense — the first time a U.S. president had spoken at NATO and failed to reaffirm the alliance's core commitment. Aides confirm the affirmation was removed from the prepared text."},{"date":"2018-07-11","title":"Trump threatens NATO withdrawal at Brussels summit","summary":"At the 2018 NATO summit in Brussels, Trump threatens to withdraw the U.S. from NATO if allies don't immediately meet the 2% GDP spending target. He delivers the threat in extraordinary terms, describing NATO as 'even worse' than NAFTA."},{"date":"2018-10-08","title":"NYT reports Trump considered NATO withdrawal","summary":"The New York Times reports that Trump told senior advisors he wanted to withdraw from NATO in 2018. Aides reportedly worked to prevent him from doing so."},{"date":"2024-02-10","title":"Trump states he'd encourage Russia to attack NATO members","summary":"At a campaign rally in Conway, South Carolina, Trump describes telling a European leader he would encourage Russia to attack NATO members who didn't pay enough: 'I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want.' NATO allies and U.S. defense officials respond with alarm."}],"location":{"name":"Brussels, Belgium / Washington, D.C.","lat":50.8503,"lng":4.3517},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[{"statute":"North Atlantic Treaty","article":"Article 5","provision":"An armed attack against one shall be considered an attack against all — Trump's refusal to affirm and his public statements encouraging attacks on non-payers created the first genuine ambiguity about this commitment in NATO's 75-year history"}],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"NATO member state populations whose security depends on Article 5 credibility; Baltic states and Poland especially vulnerable to Russian aggression; Ukraine, whose invasion was emboldened by NATO credibility questions","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President; withheld Article 5 affirmation; threatened NATO withdrawal; stated he would encourage Russian attacks","institution":"White House"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2024-02-10","summary":"Updated with 2024 campaign statement."}]}}