U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio gestures as he boards his plane at the end of a visit to Italy and the Vatican, at Rome's Ciampino airport, Italy on May 8, 2026. STEFANO RELLANDINI/Pool via REUTERS
(Washington, DC) – Marco Rubio is signaling that the Trump administration is rethinking the long-standing U.S. military presence in Europe.
The message from Rubio is not that America is abandoning its allies. It is that allies should no longer assume U.S. troops and U.S. taxpayers will carry the same burden forever.
The review fits squarely inside Trump’s America First foreign policy. NATO nations have been under pressure for years to spend more on their own defense, and Trump’s team is now making clear that old arrangements are not guaranteed just because they have existed for decades.
Supporters say the U.S. should focus on threats that matter most to Americans, including China, Iran, the border and domestic security. Critics warn that pulling back from Europe too aggressively could encourage Russia and rattle allies.
