President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Operation Epic Fury against Iran doubled as a test of America’s NATO allies — and many, he said, failed it.
Speaking in Turkey ahead of a two-day NATO summit, Trump said the United States never needed military assistance during the operation but wanted to see whether longtime allies would support the mission.
“We weren’t treated well. Because we did something in Iran. We don’t need anybody’s help. I didn’t even want the help. But before I asked, they said they wouldn’t be there,” Trump said.
The president argued the United States has spent trillions of dollars defending NATO while receiving little in return when American forces took action against Iran.
“We’ve invested trillions of dollars in NATO. Why? To protect European countries and others, Canada, etc. … But you would think that they’d be very willing to do something to help us. And they really weren’t.”
Trump said he intentionally watched allies’ responses as a measure of their commitment to the alliance.
“In a way, I was testing people. I was testing to see whether or not they’d be there. Because I’ve long said that we help them, but I’m not sure that they’d be there for us.”
The president singled out several major European allies by name.
“Italy turned us down, and Germany turned us down, and France turned us down. And it’s okay. But, you know, why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars and they are not there for us? We’ve always been there for them.”
The remarks come as the Trump administration continues pressing NATO members to shoulder a greater share of the alliance’s defense burden
Watch the clip below:
🚨 HOLY SMOKES. President Trump just OBLITERATED NATO, basically calling them freeloaders who barely deserve his presence if it weren't for Turkey
"ITALY turned us down. GERMANY turned us down. FRANCE turned us down."
"We WEREN'T TREATED WELL."
"I was VERY disappointed with… pic.twitter.com/cESu8wIrw3
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 7, 2026
