A Republican Senator is making waves by calling for the United States to withdraw from NATO, arguing that the alliance has become a financial and political burden on America. Senator Mike Lee’s push comes as several European nations continue to reject President Trump’s calls for a negotiated peace in Ukraine, instead opting to escalate the conflict.
In a series of posts on X, Lee pointed to the lopsided U.S. financial commitment to NATO, European restrictions on free speech, and the increasing reluctance of some NATO members to pursue diplomacy. “Get us out of NATO,” Lee declared, citing statistics that show the U.S. is footing more than 70% of the alliance’s bill.
Get us out of NATO https://t.co/xYNAxyx6xD
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) March 1, 2025
Lee also took issue with Europe’s restrictive “hate speech” laws, under which citizens have been jailed for political opinions. “It’s not us. It’s them,” he said, adding, “Time to leave NATO.”
Lee isn’t alone in his criticism. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) echoed his call, saying, “NATO is a Cold War relic that needs to be relegated to a talking kiosk at the Smithsonian.” In response to a commenter praising NATO, Massie quipped, “Teats on a boar hog are more useful than the United Nations.”
Elon Musk has also joined the discussion, endorsing a post suggesting that the U.S. should withdraw from both NATO and the UN.
If NATO’s moving on without the U.S.
We should move on without NATO
Time to leave https://t.co/xNnV9dqRMY
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) March 3, 2025
The debate over NATO has intensified following Friday’s heated Oval Office meeting between President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky was expected to sign an agreement that would grant the U.S. a percentage of Ukraine’s mineral sector as repayment for military aid. However, the meeting reportedly turned tense when Zelensky warned that America would “face pressure soon” if Trump refused to escalate the war.
Seeing Zelensky’s remarks as disrespectful, Trump ended the meeting and later told reporters he wasn’t committing to another meeting anytime soon. Over the weekend, Zelensky met with European leaders who have criticized Trump while pledging additional aid to Ukraine. However, despite the tough rhetoric, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s commitment amounted to just $2 billion—a fraction of the $174.2 billion the U.S. allocated to Ukraine last year.
Even NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte acknowledged that Trump has been right to push European nations to spend more on defense. “By now we are spending 700 billion more on the European side of NATO than before President Trump came into office. It is absolutely still not enough,” Rutte admitted.
With growing frustrations over NATO’s cost and direction, the debate over America’s role in the alliance is far from over.
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