President Trump laid into NATO on CNBC’s "Squawk Box" on Tuesday, saying they have repeatedly failed to act like legitimate allies.
Not only have some allies opposed U.S. operations in Iran, but others have actively hindered them by closing their airspace to American military aircraft. They went on to try to take credit after the United States announced the Strait of Hormuz had been reopened, as UK Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron said that Europe would launch a defensive military operation to ensure freedom of navigation.
In effect, the U.S. did the heavy lifting, only for others to step in afterward and try to claim credit.
President Trump made clear Tuesday that he is not pleased.
“NATO is a PAPER TIGER.”
— Overton (@overton_news) April 21, 2026
President Trump just ripped NATO to shreds live on CNBC.
He told Joe Kernen that Gulf states are FAR better allies than the European partners in NATO.
TRUMP: “The one’s that aren’t helping are NATO.”
“You know, NATO said to me, no, we’ll send somebody… https://t.co/kpYN7drpO2 pic.twitter.com/E9BqNUA8M7
"You know, we have allies now in the Middle East. Maybe some are, we can maybe count on more than allies in other parts of the world. That's true. They're much better allies than NATO, that I can tell you," the president said. "The ones that aren't helping are NATO. You know, NATO said to me, no, we'll send somebody as soon as it's over. I said, that's not really, you know, we don't need them. We'll never need them, actually. They'll need us."
"They need us desperately because they're a paper tiger," he said. "But I've said that, by the way, I've said that for a long time before I was in politics, I used to say it. I was not in politics, but I sort of enjoyed it. And I liked watching things. And I always said they were a paper tiger. Europe has to straighten themselves out."
"Between energy and immigration, they have to straighten themselves out, or they're not going to have a Europe anymore," Trump added.
He went on to laud the Gulf States, which have been far better partners throughout the conflict.
🚨 WOW. President Trump reveals some Gulf nations have become BETTER ALLIES than even NATO
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 21, 2026
NATO has abandoned America!
"They're much better allies than NATO, that I can tell you!"
What does NATO do for America at this point? LEAVE. pic.twitter.com/wf0zsZeNUa
"It's been a good country," Trump said of the United Arab Emirates. "It's been a good ally of ours. And you know, these are unusual times. They were more than anybody else."
I mean, it was shocking because we thought that they'd shoot missiles at Israel, but not every other country in the area. And you know, UAE got hit with 1,400 missiles. Fortunately, they had the Patriots and they had a great defense, and they were able to shoot down most of them. But they did get hit hard. They were hit the hardest of the group, actually. And they're really led by incredible people.
Throughout the war, Gulf states have not only supported the U.S. operation but have also worked alongside it in seeking an end to the Iranian regime’s actions. They have further pressured Iran by warning they would join U.S. military operations if missile attacks on their countries continued, a stance that helped force Iran to pull back at least partially.
In any capacity, they have done more than NATO.
This comes as NATO has moved toward a more Eurocentric posture, with efforts to reduce reliance on U.S. leadership within its command structure amid threats from President Trump to reconsider America’s role in the alliance. Secretary General Mark Rutte has continued working to keep the alliance unified, recently telling CNN that he understands President Trump’s frustration.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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