Is NATO the paper tiger of the world? President Trump thinks so
President Trump has made no secret of his frustration with the NATO coalition amid Operation Epic Fury. He has repeatedly called on them to help open the Strait of Hormuz.
by Summer Lane | March 20, 2026
President Donald Trump on Friday slammed NATO for being the “PAPER TIGER” of the world.
“Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!” the president declared on Truth Social.
He added, “They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices.”
Earlier this week, the president called strongly upon NATO allies to assist in securing the Strait of Hormuz in some way. The key shipping passage has been stymied amid the military combat operation against Iran, which began nearly three weeks ago.
“So easy for them to do, with so little risk,” President Trump said. “COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”
As reported by LindellTV, on Monday, President Trump said that “numerous countries” were “on the way” to secure the Strait, but didn’t specify who.
On Thursday, six U.S. allies announced their intention to potentially help the United States with the Strait of Hormuz. That number was later updated to seven.
According to Axios, the joint statement from these seven countries, which reportedly includes Japan and Germany, does not necessarily commit any of those countries’ naval vessels to the region. Rather, the statement expressed a desire to “contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait” as discussions continue.
To mitigate the rising prices of oil, the U.S. Department of Energy will release 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserves, amid a historic 400-million barrel authorization.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also stated this week that the U.S. may unsanction 140 million barrels of Iranian oil already on the water, which he said is up to a two weeks’ supply of oil, to keep prices down.
