Trump Could Withdraw US from NATO Despite Congressional Barriers

Donald Trump could find ways to effectively pull the United States out of NATO without formally breaking the treaty, according to foreign policy experts.

Ivo Daalder, who served as NATO ambassador under President Obama, outlined a scenario where Trump could withdraw all US troops from Europe and remove American officers from NATO's command structure while claiming to still honor the alliance's Article 5 mutual defense agreement.

Congress has tried to create roadblocks to prevent this. Lawmakers passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that blocks any US funds from being spent on withdrawing from NATO.

However, legal experts say even if a president withdrew from the North Atlantic Treaty entirely, all existing NATO-related laws would likely remain in effect unless Congress specifically repealed them. This creates a complex legal situation where the executive and legislative branches could clash over America's role in the 75-year-old alliance.

NATO was formed in 1949 as a military partnership between the US, Canada, and European nations to counter Soviet threats. Today it includes 30 countries committed to defending each other if attacked.