Donald Trump struggled Tuesday to answer a simple question about America’s role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization while en route to a summit of the group’s leaders.
The president cast doubt on Article 5 of NATO, which obligates member states to collective defense: An attack on one is an attack on all. But when asked whether he was committed to such a rule, Trump played dumb.
“It depends on your definition, there are numerous definitions of Article 5, you know that right?” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.
“But I’m committed to being their friends, you know I’ve become friends with many of those leaders,” Trump continued.
“I’m committed to saving lives. I’m committed to life and safety. And I’m going to give you an exact definition when I get there. I just don’t want to do it on the back of an airplane,” Trump said, according to Politico, leaving it up to interpretation whether he actually knows what Article 5 says, let alone his position on it.
Q: Are you still committed to Article 5 of NATO?TRUMP: It depends on your definition(That’s a no) pic.twitter.com/CGQu9kfHMV
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 24, 2025
But Trump hasn’t been a very good friend—in fact, his surprise decision to bomb three of Iran’s nuclear facilities inspired some key NATO members to skip Wednesday’s meeting.
NATO members are expected to sign a new agreement Wednesday to raise defense spending from 2 percent of gross domestic product to a target of 5 percent, following Trump’s ceaseless whining that member states are taking advantage of America’s exorbitant defense budget.
On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada had launched a new defense partnership with the European Commission and European Council, limiting its ability to procure weapons and other materials from the United States.
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