Tillis rips Trump’s NATO criticism: US lives would ‘be lost great numbers without’ alliance

Retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) ripped President Trump’s threats against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in recent weeks, amid escalating tensions over the conflict in the Middle East.

“The president of the United States cannot withdraw from NATO,” Tillis told ABC’s Jonathan Karl in a Sunday interview on “This Week.” “Now, having said that, the president can poison the well.”

The president has ripped NATO allies over the countries’ reluctance to join U.S.-Israel operations in Iran, referring to the alliance as “a paper tiger” and calling members “cowards” in recent days.

A central point of Trump’s criticism revolves around efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway for oil exports that has effectively shuttered since the onset of the war late last month. He has argued that Europe and China rely more heavily on the trade route for oil than the U.S.

Several NATO allies,........

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