Thune: Trump Can't Leave NATO Alone

0:00On March 19th, Senate Majority Leader John Thune says President Trump cannot pull the United States out of NATO on his own. Any withdrawal would need approval from Congress, according to Thune's recent comments. Trump has claimed he could act alone, but a law passed in 2023 requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate or new legislation to leave the alliance. Thune called NATO the most effective alliance in history, while agreeing that the U.S. has showed her too much of the defense costs for years. Trump gets credit from Thune for pushing NATO allies to spin at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense. That pressure has led some countries to boost their military budgets, though not all have met the goal. Tensions are rising over issues like security in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran recently closed the key oil route after U.S. strikes, and U.S. aid, to Ukraine, which Trump sees as another example of uneven burden, sharing with allies. These debates highlight splits in the Republican Party, where many backfair contributions,

1:01but resist fully abandoning the alliance the counters. Threats from Russia and China. Lawmakers like Thune show Congress will have the final say on NATO's future.