The newspaper asked Trump whether he should reconsider membership in the defense alliance after a war with Iran.
"Oh, I would say it's beyond reconsideration," the president replied.
I've never been convinced about NATO. I always knew it was a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, for that matter.
“Not even a fleet”
The United States has shown strong dissatisfaction with the reluctance of allied European countries to help militarily in the Iran conflict and is directing its comments at Britain in particular in the interview with the London newspaper.
"You don't even have a navy," he said of the British.
You are too old, with aircraft carriers that have not worked.
When asked what British Prime Minister Keir Starmer should invest more in for defense, the answer was:
"He can do whatever he wants, it doesn't matter. All Starmer wants are expensive windmills," Trump said, referring to Britain's wind power investments.
“Not our war”
Starmer's response was not long in coming.
"NATO is by far the most effective military alliance the world has ever seen," he said at a press conference, after a question about Trump's remarks.
"It has kept us safe for decades, and we adhere to it fully."
At the same time, the British leader said that Europe must cooperate more intensively and repeated the line that Iran "is not our war, and we will not allow ourselves to be drawn into it."
Also Rubio
In addition to the Iran war, Trump also expressed disappointment over how the war in Ukraine had gone.
"Ukraine was not our problem. It was a test, and we were there for them, and we always should have been. They were not there for us."
Previously, Senator Marco Rubio expressed similar sentiments about NATO membership.
"I don't think there's any doubt, unfortunately, that when this conflict is over, we're going to have to reevaluate that relationship," Rubio told Fox News.
