Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) suggested that President Donald Trump's decisions in the Iran war would have lasting repercussions for the United States.
Bacon, a retired Air Force general, told CNN anchor Jake Tapper that he had spoken with members of the Trump administration about the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East, and that he had expressed his concerns after the president had floated the idea of leaving NATO and called it a "paper tiger" during his press conference on Monday in Washington, D.C.
"And I just want to restate, pulling out of NATO would be a disaster for decades to come," Bacon said. "It would weaken America. America alone is a weaker America. And our European allies are democratic. They reflect our values. We need to work together with Europe on the world's problems. We need their help to deter Russia. We need Japan and Australia to help deter China. And we need allies around us in the Middle East. We can't do it alone."
The lawmaker was referring to the ongoing alliances and how vital they are to protecting American interests both domestically and internationally.
"And I would point out that though there's some blame to go on both sides, the president's threats towards Greenland, Denmark, and Canada have really hurt our standing in Europe," Bacon added. "I know some of the prime ministers and presidents personally. I know many of the ambassadors, and that caused great damage to the trust between the European leaders towards President Trump is significantly weakened, and I think it's going to take post — after Trump leaves — for us to be able to heal this. If we can even do that, when so grave damage has been done, and I think it's hurt our national security by what's happened."