Former U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated on June 22, 2026, that he would refuse to assist NATO member states if they requested military support — a warning tied to their refusal to back his administration’s military operation against Iran.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump criticized allied nations for declining to participate in or endorse the strike, saying: “We spent all this money. And then, when we might have needed help for something small… they said, ‘No, we’d prefer not to help.’”
He added: “It was foolish of them to say that — because we could say the same thing too, and we just might.”
Trump is scheduled to attend the upcoming NATO summit in Turkey this July, where leaders from all 32 member countries will gather to discuss collective defense, regional security, and alliance cohesion.