WSJ: Trump Plans to 'Punish' Unhelpful NATO Allies by Pulling US Troops; Spain and Germany Named as Potential Base Closure Sites

The Wall Street Journal reported on April 8 that the Trump administration is considering a plan to punish NATO member countries it deemed unhelpful during the Iran war by moving US troops out of their territory and potentially closing US military bases. The plan is early in conception but would remove forces from countries like Spain and Germany — which refused Trump's request to deploy warships to the Strait of Hormuz — and station them in countries viewed as supportive, including Poland, Romania, Lithuania, and Greece. Trump publicly stated NATO countries "were tested and they failed," and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said "it's quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks, when it's the American people who have been funding their defense." The plan represented Trump's most concrete threat to the NATO military infrastructure since taking office. Newsweek reported Trump is also weighing pulling US troops from "unhelpful" NATO countries broadly. The Daily Beast noted Trump was "plotting revenge" on key allies who did not support his Iran war.