Trump Says US 'No Longer Needs NATO' — Reports of Article 5 'Pay-to-Play' Proposal Emerge

Trump's Miami forum remarks rippled across allied capitals on Saturday. Political Wire reported: 'Trump Says the U.S. No Longer Needs NATO.' GMA News headlined: 'Trump says we don\'t have to be there for NATO.' Simultaneously, The Telegraph reported the US is actively considering a 'pay-to-play' model that would strip Article 5 protections from NATO members that fail to reach the 5% GDP defense spending target — barring non-compliant states from joint exercises, decisions on alliance expansion, and invocation of the mutual defense clause. Multiple outlets confirmed US government sourcing on the proposal. EADaily reported Trump 'spoke about the possible termination of US support for NATO.' Analysts described the cumulative effect as potentially 'shattering' the alliance in ways Trump's earlier skepticism had only 'shaken,' as the Iran war transformed rhetorical pressure into a concrete dispute over US obligations.