Washington DC [US], January 23 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Friday hinted at testing NATO’s commitment by invoking Article 5 to protect America’s southern border from illegal immigrants. He made the remarks in a post on his Truth Social platform, suggesting that NATO’s involvement could also “free up” Border Patrol agents for other duties.
“Maybe we should have put NATO to the test: invoked Article 5, and forced NATO to come here and protect our Southern Border from further invasions of illegal immigrants, thus freeing up large numbers of Border Patrol Agents for other tasks,” Trump wrote.
The statement follows Trump’s address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Wednesday, where he questioned NATO’s commitment to defending the United States. “The problem with NATO is that we’ll be there for them 100%. But I’m not sure that they’ll be there for us,” he said.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a political and military alliance comprising 32 member countries. Established in 1949, NATO’s key principle under Article 5 obligates members to come to the defense of any member state if it is attacked. Article 5 has been invoked only once, by the United States after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Despite that history, Trump expressed doubts about whether allies would support the US in return. “I know them all very well, I’m not sure that they’d be there. With all the money we expend, with all the blood, sweat, and tears, I don’t know that they’d be there for us,” he said.
Trump’s comments came alongside renewed focus on Greenland, where he reiterated that he would not use force to acquire the Arctic island, even as he pressed for US control during his WEF address. The president has increasingly questioned the alliance’s reliability amid his push for Greenland and objections from European allies over US actions regarding the Danish territory.
The Trump 2.0 administration has prioritized cracking down on illegal immigration. Measures in his second term have included tougher enforcement at the southern border, with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency doubling the number of officers and agents from 10,000 to 22,000 to restore operational control. (ANI)
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