US President Donald Trump on Tuesday again voiced criticism of NATO over what he described as a failure to support the United States in its war against Iran, questioning why Washington was spending billions
of dollars for them.
“We weren’t treated well because we did something in Iran. Before we even asked, they said they weren’t going to be there,” he said after arriving in Turkey for the NATO Summit. Trump was seated beside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“We’ve invested trillions of dollars in NATO. Why? To protect European countries and others. You would think that they’d be very willing to do something to help us, and they really weren’t. I’ve long said that we help them, but I’m not sure that they’d be there for us,” he also said.
.@POTUS: “We’ve invested trillions of dollars in NATO. Why? To protect European countries and others… You would think that they’d be very willing to do something to help us, and they really weren’t… I’ve long said that we help them, but I’m not sure that they’d be there for… pic.twitter.com/qkfqX1CQea
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 7, 2026
“Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars when they’re not there for us? We’ve always been there for them.”
Trump’s remarks at the Western military alliance came as NATO leaders assemble in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday for a high-stakes summit that spans Ukraine, Iran, defence production, and regional security.
One of the most pressing issues is whether NATO members are moving fast enough to meet Trump’s demand for higher defence spending. Earlier, NATO unveiled a series of military projects worth billions of dollars, with Secretary-General Mark Rutte calling the investment “money well spent”.
