WASHINGTON — 24 hours after he called on nations to “get involved” in helping the United States reopen the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the U.S. does not need the help after all from NATO.
During an Oval Office meeting with Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with NATO, labeling its actions as a “very foolish mistake.” with the alliance during an Oval Office meeting with Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
“I think NATO’s making a very foolish mistake,” Trump said. “This was a great test because we don’t need them, but they should have been there.”
“President Trump has great relationships with foreign leaders around the world. At the same time, he has long called attention to the disproportional dynamics that have been enabled by weak Presidents for decades — including the United States’ extensive financial support of NATO and unfair trading practices that hurt our farmers and workers,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement. “The President was resoundingly elected to put America First, and he will continue to bolster US national security through Operation Epic Fury, with or without NATO.”
Over the weekend, Trump urged U.S. allies in Europe and Asia to dispatch warships to assist in policing the Strait of Hormuz, where approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil supply is vulnerable to the conflict between the U.S. and Israel with Iran.
Trump has gotten an icy reception from the NATO allies, as no country has publicly announced plans to send ships or other kinds of assistance to unblock the strait.
On Monday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said, “This is not our war; we have not started it.” On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said his country would “never take part in operations to open or free the Strait of Hormuz in the current context”.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wrote on X that he had spoken to Trump about it and had “never heard him so angry in my life.”
“The repercussions of providing little assistance to keep the Strait of Hormuz functioning are going to be wide and deep for Europe and America,” Graham wrote.
The war has triggered a spike in gas prices, creating political problems for Trump at home ahead of the congressional midterm elections in November.
Trump said Monday at the White House that “numerous countries have told me they are on their way” to help. He said Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be making an announcement. No announcement or list has yet been released.
