NATO headquarters in Brussels is shown in this undated photo. Support for the alliance is declining among Republicans but remains steady overall, according to a Pew Foundation report published Monday. (NATO)
Support for NATO is on the decline among Republicans but holding steady overall, according to a new poll taken amid President Donald Trump’s increased criticism of the alliance.
Sixty percent of Republicans now say the U.S. benefits “not too much” or “not at all” from being part of the alliance, according to a Pew Research Center poll released Monday. The results mark the first time a majority of Republicans have reported such views, according to Pew. A year ago, the figure stood at 50%.
Americans’ overall views toward NATO remain positive, with 59% of those polled saying the U.S. still benefits from being one of the 32 member countries, Pew said.
Much of that is tied to lopsided support among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 82% of whom see benefits from alliance membership, the survey said.
The poll was conducted in late March, just days before Trump said he was considering withdrawing from the alliance in connection with disagreements with allies over the Iran war.
NATO has been fundamental to U.S. national security policy for nearly 80 years but has long drawn scorn from Trump, who has ratcheted up his criticism over the past week.
Over the decades, NATO has enjoyed widespread bipartisan support in Washington, but there have been recent indications of more partisan splits.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who as a senator sponsored legislation to make it harder for a president to quit the alliance, said last week that the U.S. relationship with Europe needed to be reevaluated after the Iran conflict.
Rubio’s remarks were connected to Spain’s decision to restrict access to its bases and airspace for missions linked to the Iran campaign, which began Feb. 28 with combined American and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Longtime NATO backer Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also blasted the alliance for not doing more to help the U.S. unblock the oil transport chokepoint known as the Strait of Hormuz.
Pew’s new polling noted that outlooks toward NATO have become increasingly partisan over the past 15 years, with trend lines showing the gap between Republicans and Democrats growing.
Nonetheless, favorable views of NATO are shifting downward over the longer term, Pew said.
“Americans are less likely to see the alliance favorably today than in April 2022, not long after Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine,” Pew stated.
