Macron warns Trump risks undermining NATO with doubts over US commitment
Photo: French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
French President Emmanuel Macron said Donald Trump risks undermining NATO by casting doubt on the United States’ commitment to the alliance, Bloomberg reports.
Doubts erode trust
Macron stressed that alliances like NATO are built on what isn’t said — the trust that underpins them.
"If you cast doubt every day about your commitment, you undermine that trust," the President said.
He added that US officials are fueling uncertainty by signaling that they "won’t do this or that or the other."
"When you have signed a treaty, you don’t question it every morning or keep saying whether you will act," Macron emphasized.
Trump threats and Europe’s response
On Wednesday, Donald Trump stepped up his criticism of NATO, saying he is seriously considering withdrawing the United States from the alliance. His remarks came after comments by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is usually seen as a defender of NATO. Rubio described the alliance’s response to the war in Iran as disappointing.
Emmanuel Macron said countries are already feeling the impact of the conflict. France, for its part, stressed that it had not been informed of plans to strike Iran and is not taking part in the war.
Earlier, Trump said he was seriously considering leaving NATO, calling the alliance a paper tiger.
This is not the first such threat — he previously pressured European allies to join a coalition to protect the Strait of Hormuz, warning he could halt weapons supplies to Ukraine.
Under pressure from Washington, France, Germany, the UK and over 30 countries signed a joint statement expressing readiness to support safe navigation.
After Macron’s criticism, Trump resorted to personal insults. The US President said his French counterpart was still recovering from a punch to the jaw from his wife, referring to a 2025 incident in Hanoi when Brigitte Macron allegedly struck him in the face.
The comments sparked outrage in France, with National Assembly Speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet calling them unacceptable at a time when people are dying on the battlefield.
At the same time, Trump’s actions have had an unexpected effect. According to Politico, his pressure on NATO is paradoxically bringing European leaders closer together than ever.
Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the threat of the alliance’s collapse, the easing of sanctions on Russia, an energy crisis in Europe, a halt to aid to Ukraine, and Hungary blocking a loan for Kyiv "Putin's dream plan."
