Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego took aim at Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the Trump administration's intention to potentially leave NATO.
In a social media publication, Gallego replied to remarks by Rubio on the matter and recalled that the U.S. "entered NATO by Senate treaty," adding that President Donald Trump has no right to take us out of it."
We entered NATO by Senate Treaty, the President has no right to take us out of it.
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) April 1, 2026
You should know you sponsored a bill to block the President from getting us out of NATO. https://t.co/gih3dhMYbv
"You should know you sponsored a bill to block the President from getting us out of NATO," Gallego added.
He was replying to a publication that quoted Rubio on the matter: "Unfortunately, after this conflict is concluded, we're going to have to re examine that relationship. We're going to have to re examine the value of NATO & that alliance for our country. Ultimately, that's a decision for the President to make, and he'll have to make it," the quote reads.
Rubio was echoing Trump's frustration with the transatlantic alliance, which has included repeated threats to leave. Speaking to The Telegraph on Wednesday, Trump said a withdrawal is "beyond reconsideration."
"I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way," he added. He went on to say that military aid should be "automatic." "We've been there automatically, including Ukraine. Ukraine wasn't our problem. It was a test, and we were there for them, and we would always have been there for them. They weren't there for us," Trump said.
Trump has been largely upset at European allies for their reluctance to join the fray, particularly to help guarantee navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which about 20% of the world's energy passes.
Elsewhere in the interview, Trump singled out the U.K., suggesting that the Royal Navy was not up to the task. "You don't even have a navy. You're too old and had aircraft carriers that didn't work," he added.
However, even if Trump tried to get the U.S. out of NATO, Congress in 2023 approved a bill preventing any president from unilaterally withdrawing from the alliance.
