Musk: US should quit NATO and stop funding Europe’s defence

Washington (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Tesla owner Elon Musk advocated for a US exit from NATO, stating on X that it “doesn’t make sense for America to pay for the defense of Europe.”

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What did Trump say about NATO funding obligations?How are European leaders responding to NATO funding concerns?

Musk, senior adviser to US President Donald Trump, was reacting to a post on X early Sunday that claimed the US should “Exit NATO now!” “We really should,” the Tesla Inc co-founder and chief executive officer said.

Earlier, on March 3, Musk said he agreed with a proposal by a conservative commentator that the US should quit both NATO and the United Nations. Musk’s remarks come at a time when the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which will mark its 76th anniversary in April, is up for grabs.

What did Trump say about NATO funding obligations?

It was reported on March 6 that Trump had consulted with associates calibrating the US arrangement with NATO in a way which prefers members of the alliance that pay a certain percentage of their GDP on defence. Talking to reporters the same day, Trump stated he told NATO partners that if they’re not going to pay their bills, he won’t support them.

It’s common sense, right,

Trump told journalists in the Oval Office.

If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them. No, I’m not going to defend them.

How are European leaders responding to NATO funding concerns?

On the other hand, European Union leaders gathered in Brussels for an emergency summit last week with an opinion to massively boost defence spending. The officials are concerned about a European Commission proposal that contains as much as €150 billion in loans to member nations for defence, as well as methods to permit countries to utilize their national budgets to potentially invest €650 billion on defence over four years without initiating budgetary penalties.