Retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis shared his thoughts on Donald Trump’s latest accusations toward NATO. He criticized Trump’s choice of words, his attacks on NATO, and warned that the president’s recent comments could put American lives in danger.
As reported by The Hill, in an interview with ABC News, Tillis said the president does not have the authority to withdraw from NATO. However, he could still undermine it. “The president of the United States cannot withdraw from NATO. Now, having said that, the president can poison the well.”
Sen. Thom Tillis responds after President Trump criticizes NATO.
He rejects the label, arguing allies reacted to being excluded from a major operation.
“I don’t think that they’re cowards…”pic.twitter.com/GG4Z66rZOQ
— Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) March 22, 2026
In recent weeks, Trump has shown increased criticism of NATO as tensions rise over the conflict in the Middle East. Earlier, the U.S. president accused allied nations of not “supporting” U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran.
He further called them “cowards,” describing the alliance as “paper tigers.”
The main factor behind the rising tensions is the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route. It has been effectively closed as the conflict has escalated. Trump argued that European nations and China depend more heavily on the waterway than the United States, suggesting they should take larger steps to secure it. However, several NATO countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany and France, have offered to help ensure safe passage through the strait.
Now, Thom Tillis, a leading Republican voice in the Senate, also criticized Trump.
He said,
“The president can make it functionally defunct if he wants to, but I would really encourage him to take … the top 100 generals in the Pentagon right now and ask any of them if they think it’s a good idea to sever that relationship.” He further added, “And you’d be hard-pressed … to find one, because that has enormous, enormous risk in it.”
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis on Trump calling NATO “cowards”:
“I don’t think that they’re cowards. I think they’re people that weren’t consulted on a major military operation, and I’d have the same reaction if I was the head of state.”
pic.twitter.com/G0819NxbGz
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) March 22, 2026
He also talked about the consequences of weakening NATO alliances. Calling them severe, he said, “American lives have been saved by the NATO alliance, and American lives will be lost in great numbers without it.”
Moving forward, he pushed back on Trump’s statement of labelling the allied nations as “cowards.” “I don’t think that they’re cowards,” the GOP senator said. “I think they’re people that weren’t consulted on a major military operation, and I’d have the same reaction if I were the head of state.”
Tillis’s comments highlight growing concern among some Republicans who continue to worry about Trump’s approach to well-established alliances.
