Republican-Led Decline in U.S. Support for NATO Under Trump’s Influence

President Donald Trump’s skepticism toward the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is not a recent phenomenon. As far back as the 1980s, he took out full-page newspaper ads questioning why wealthy allies like Japan and Saudi Arabia were not compensating the U.S. for protecting their interests. His long-standing doubts resurfaced during his presidency and continue to shape public opinion today.

Republican Support for NATO Plummets

Recent data from Pew Research reveals a sharp decline in Republican support for NATO membership:

• 60% of Republicans now say the U.S. benefits not too much or not at all from NATO, up from 50% in 2025—an 11-point drop in just one year.
• Support among Republicans and GOP-leaning independents has fallen from 49% in 2025 to just 38% in the latest survey.
• As recently as 2022, 55% of Republicans supported U.S. membership in NATO.

In contrast, 82% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents continue to back NATO membership, a figure that has remained largely unchanged over the past five years.

Overall U.S. Support for NATO Declines

The drop in Republican backing has dragged down overall American support for NATO. Favorability has fallen from 71% in 2021 to 59% today, reflecting growing partisan divisions over the alliance’s value.

Trump’s Long-Standing Criticism of NATO

Trump has repeatedly questioned NATO’s effectiveness, even suggesting a potential U.S. withdrawal. In a 1987 ad, he argued:

"Why are these nations not paying the United States for the human lives and billions of dollars we are losing to protect their interests?"

Decades later, his stance has not wavered. During his presidency, he openly criticized NATO, and in recent remarks to reporters, he suggested the U.S. might leave the alliance, stating that NATO "wasn't there when we needed them, and they won't be there if we need them again."

NATO’s Burden-Sharing Debate

While many NATO members have recently increased defense spending, the U.S. still bears the majority of the alliance’s military and financial burden:

• In 2025, the U.S. accounted for 60% of NATO’s total defense expenditures, despite contributing just 52% of the alliance’s GDP.
• This represents an improvement from 2020, when the U.S. made up 71% of NATO’s defense spending while contributing 53% of its GDP.
• The imbalance extends beyond spending. In December 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that the British military—Europe’s largest defense spender—had only around 150 deployable tanks and a dozen long-range artillery pieces.

France, another major European power, also faces significant military limitations, raising questions about Europe’s ability to defend itself without U.S. leadership.