The president has discussed possibly favoring members of the alliance that spend a set percentage of their GDP on defense, sources told NBC News.
President Donald Trump is considering a major changeΒ toΒ the U.S.β participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, according to three current and former senior U.S. officialsΒ and one congressional official.Β
Trump has discussed with aides the possibility of calibrating Americaβs NATO engagement in a way that favors members of the alliance that spend a set percentage of their gross domestic product on defense, the officials said.
The president is similarly considering a policy change in which the U.S. may choose to prioritize military exercises with NATO members that are spending the set percentage of their GDPs on defense, the officials said. His administration has already signaled to Americaβs European allies that the U.S. could reduce its military presence in Europe, and one option now under consideration is to reposition some U.S. troops in the region so they are focused in or around NATO countries that have scaled their defense spending to meet the specific percentage of their GDPs, the officials said.
Asked about Trump considering making these changes to how the U.S. engages with NATO, a National Security Council official said in a written statement, βPresident Trump is committed to NATO and Article V.β
The U.S. State Department is preparing to shut down almost a dozen consulates that are mainly in Western Europe in the coming months and is looking to reduce its workforce globally, multiple U.S. officials said on Thursday.
The State Department is also looking into potentially merging a number of its expert bureaus at its headquarters in Washington that are working in areas such as human rights, refugees, global criminal justice, women’s issues and efforts to counter human trafficking, the officials said.
Trump considering major NATO policy shifthttps://t.co/Gp46RopQTg
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 6, 2025
