US to Pull out of NATO and UN? By James Reed
As of March 5, 2025, Elon Musk has publicly expressed support for the United States withdrawing from both NATO and the United Nations. On March 1, 2025, Musk posted "I agree" on X in response to a user (@GuntherEagleman) who wrote, "It's time to leave NATO and the UN." This stance aligns with sentiments from some Republican lawmakers, notably Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who has called NATO a "Cold War relic" and introduced legislation in February 2025 (the DEFUND Act) to exit the UN, criticising it as a platform for adversaries.
Musk's comments, made as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Donald Trump's administration, have fuelled debate but lack elaboration on specific reasoning beyond his prior critiques of NATO's relevance and U.S. funding burdens. Trump has not explicitly endorsed a NATO exit, though he's consistently pressured allies to increase defence spending (e.g., pushing for 5 percent of GDP, far above the current 2 percent target) and voiced scepticism about NATO's value to the U.S., as seen in statements from January 2024 and post-inauguration in 2025. His administration has also cut UN funding, like pulling out of the UN Human Rights Council, but no formal withdrawal process has begun.
Legally, exiting NATO requires Congressional approval—either a two-thirds Senate vote or an act of Congress—due to a 2023 law co-sponsored by then-Senator Marco Rubio (now Secretary of State). No such legislative move has succeeded yet, and Trump's team, including Vice President JD Vance, has signalled intent to honour NATO commitments while demanding more from allies. UN withdrawal faces similar hurdles, with the U.S. as a major funder (22 percent of the regular budget), but no concrete steps beyond rhetoric have emerged.
Reactions vary: European leaders express alarm over potential U.S. isolationism, especially amid Ukraine tensions after a Trump-Zelensky clash on February 28, 2025. Posts on X show polarised sentiment—some cheer Musk's stance as "America First," others decry it as reckless or pro-Russia. No official policy shift has occurred, but Musk's influence in Trump's circle keeps the idea alive, though constrained by legal and political realities for now. Nothing definitive has materialised as of today. But we can keep hoping.
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