Rep. Don Bacon has warned that any decision by President Donald Trump to withdraw the U.S. from NATO would “destroy” their party and lead to a MAGA “civil war.”
Trump has reacted petulantly in recent days to America’s European allies expressing reluctance to join his war against Iran by escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, lashing out in the Oval Office on Tuesday by declaring: “Well, we don’t need too much help, and we don’t need any help.”
“Despite the fact that we help them so much... they don’t want to help us, which is amazing,” the president fumed, having claimed that NATO members had previously been “very much in favor” of his decision to join Israel in launching airstrikes against Tehran on February 28.
He also raged on Truth Social that the alliance had become “a one-way street” and that the U.S. did not “need” its help anyway.
Speaking to Kaitlan Collins on CNN’s The Source Tuesday, the Nebraska Republican stressed that there had been a “loss of trust” between the U.S. and Europe and that “work” needed to be done to repair the relationship.
When asked whether Trump was wrong to say he could simply pull the U.S. out of NATO without consulting Congress, Bacon answered unequivocally: “He’s wrong.”
He continued: “If he broke up NATO on his own, it would be a civil war in the Republican caucus, or the conference.
“Most of us would find that totally unacceptable. And I’m not alone. There’s a large group of us that believe in our alliances and standing up for freedom and pushing back on China and Russia.
“We don’t want war with these guys, but you’ve got to be strong. And if he went in and somehow destroyed or tore up NATO, it would probably destroy the party for many years. There would be many that will never forgive that.”
Collins clarified: “It would destroy the Republican Party?”
“I think it would implode,” Rep. Bacon answered, speaking against a backdrop of growing MAGA infighting over Iran.
A self-described “Reagan Republican,” the congressman – who has announced he will not run for office again this year — has developed a reputation for attacking Trump, criticizing the president over his stance on tariffs, Greenland, and Ukraine and calling out officials such as Stephen Miller and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The U.S. joined NATO in 1949 under Harry Truman, following the Second World War, to cement international stability.
Relations between its member states were largely harmonious throughout the Cold War, riding out such dramatic events as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
The bloc activated its Article 5 mutual defense pledge for the first and only time in its history in 2001 to come to the aid of the U.S. following the 9/11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., by al-Qaeda.
It was only Trump's political ascent in 2016 that raised questions about the alliance’s future, with the Republican candidate telling The New York Times during the campaign that he considered it “obsolete.”
He subsequently griped throughout his first term about its members failing to meet their commitment to contribute 2 percent of their GDP towards defense, calling NATO “a bad deal” for the American taxpayer.
It is by no means clear what would happen if Trump did attempt to make good on his threat to leave – with or without the support of Congress – but a gargantuan legal fight, perhaps drawing the Supreme Court into a fresh constitutional dispute over the extent and limits of presidential power, is highly likely.
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