Most Americans, including a majority of Republicans and self-identified MAGA Republicans, believe that maintaining the United States' membership in NATO is important for the nation's security and prosperity, according to a recent poll.
The Reagan Institute Summer Survey found that 73% of all respondents consider continued NATO membership vital, with 64% of Republicans and 61% of MAGA Republicans echoing this sentiment. The poll's findings were released as former President Donald Trump met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House.
Bipartisan Support for Collective Defense
The survey also revealed bipartisan agreement on NATO's core principle of collective defense. When informed that NATO members are obligated to defend each other if attacked, 76% of Democrats, 71% of Republicans, and 69% of MAGA Republicans expressed support for the U.S. responding with military force to an attack on a NATO ally.
During his meeting with Rutte, Trump reportedly criticized several European allies for their perceived lack of support during a recent U.S. operation against Iran. He expressed disappointment with countries including Italy, the UK, Germany, France, and Spain, stating, "We just want loyalty."
Conversely, Rutte praised Trump's leadership and credited him with motivating NATO members to increase their defense spending. "I really want to make clear how important it is what you are doing on Iran," Rutte told Trump, referencing the operation against Iran's nuclear capabilities.
Trump has consistently criticized NATO allies for not meeting defense spending commitments and has at times threatened U.S. withdrawal from the alliance, arguing that the United States bears an disproportionate share of the collective security burden. He has urged allies to significantly boost military expenditures, asserting that the U.S. should not solely fund European defense.
NATO's collective defense pact, known as Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, has been invoked only once in the alliance's 77-year history. This occurred after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when all NATO members declared the attacks on the United States as an attack on all of them.
The Reagan Institute Summer Survey was conducted from May 26 to June 3, polling 1,555 individuals nationwide with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. The survey employed a mixed-mode methodology, including live telephone interviews, an online panel, and text-to-web responses. The results were weighted using demographic benchmarks from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey to ensure representation across age, gender, race, region, and education levels. An oversample of 331 MAGA Republicans under age 30 was also included, carrying a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
The Reagan Institute is a Washington-based policy organization that promotes the foreign policy principles of Ronald Reagan, emphasizing "peace through strength" and sustained American leadership on the global stage.