Trump says Lindsey Graham 'is right' to ask him to reconsider US bases in Europe amid Iran war
Reporter: Lindsey Graham has asked for you to reconsider the American basis in Spain, in Germany, after what they have done in the Strait of Hormuz. What do you think?
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 20, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump: "Well, it deserves. He's right about asking that. And I think NATO's gone down a… pic.twitter.com/KELh388FTG
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump showed his support for Sen Lindsey Graham, who slammed European allies for their refusal to send military assets to reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war. The senator had also contemplated the value of these alliances.
On Friday, March 20, Trump was asked by reporters about Graham’s stance on the European allies who have asked the POTUS to “reconsider the American bases in Spain, in Germany after what they have done in the Strait of Hormuz. What do you think?”
Trump backs Lindsey Graham, says NATO 'should be helping with' the Strait of Hormuz
The Republican leader replied that Graham “is right about asking that.”
Trump then went on to slam NATO for going “down a long way because they haven't, I mean, they should be helping with the Strait. They get much of their energy from the Strait of Hormuz.”
“And if Lindsey Graham said that, and don't forget, he was the big NATO guy for a while, and now he's not. And a lot of senators and congressmen, they were very upset with the fact that NATO has done nothing,” the commander-in-chief added.
Lindsey Graham 'second guessing' the value of European alliances
This came after Graham expressed his anger toward US’ European allies. In an X (formerly Twitter) post, the 70-year-old politician had stated that despite getting more benefits from the Strait of Hormuz, they have shown less willingness to provide assets to keep the vital shipping channel open.
Just spoke to @POTUS about our European allies’ unwillingness to provide assets to keep the Strait of Hormuz functioning, which benefits Europe far more than America. I have never heard him so angry in my life. I share that anger given what’s at stake.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 17, 2026
The arrogance of our…
“The arrogance of our allies to suggest that Iran with a nuclear weapon is of little concern and that military action to stop the ayatollah from acquiring a nuclear bomb is our problem not theirs is beyond offensive,” he wrote.
Graham had further noted in his social media post that "the repercussions of providing little assistance to keep the Strait of Hormuz functioning are going to be wide and deep for Europe and America."
He also added that though he believes in supporting alliances, “at a time of real testing like this, it makes me second guess the value of these alliances.”
Lindsey Graham asks Trump to remove US aircrafts from Spain
Mr. President, one of the things I like about you most is that, now, our allies take America for granted at their own peril.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 20, 2026
As to my suggestion, I meant it then and I’ll repeat it now: We should consider removing U.S. bases from countries who won’t let us fly from them as we… https://t.co/ZIxOuH9vme
Following Trump’s comment supporting him, Graham once again insisted that Washington “should consider removing American bases from countries who won’t let us fly from them as we confront the world’s largest state sponsor of te**orism who has been hellbent on developing a nuclear weapon and was extremely close to achieving that goal.”
In his X post, he singled out Spain for not allowing the US aircraft placed in Madrid to fly in support of Operation Epic Fury.
“I think America’s interests would be well-served to move those aircraft from Spain to a country that we can actually rely on in a time of great need. I trust your judgment,” Graham concluded.
