As Trump rails against NATO, secretary general heads to Washington
Source: NBC News
April 2, 2026, 5:37 PM EDT
WASHINGTON — NATO’s secretary general is heading to the White House next week as President Donald Trump lashes out over European allies’ refusal to join the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran. Both NATO and the White House said Thursday that Mark Rutte’s travel was planned long in advance. He has often sought to tamp down Trump’s long-simmering ire toward the trans-Atlantic alliance, and his practice of refusing to criticize the U.S. and insist there is no larger NATO issue has in turn angered some of his European counterparts.
Trump is again vowing to reassess U.S. membership in NATO once the Iran war is over, calling it a “paper tiger” in a recent interview with The Telegraph. Trump’s main issue right now is NATO members’ refusal to show “courage” and lead the fight in clearing the Strait of Hormuz so oil-bearing ships can once again safely pass. He has also expressed anger that the United Kingdom, Spain and France have declined to allow the U.S. unfettered use of their airspace and military bases for attacks on Iran.
“This is the worst crisis NATO has faced in 77 years,” said Ivo Daalder, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO and a senior fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. “There is a growing realization on the part of Europeans that they need to put themselves in a position where they are less and less dependent on the United States,” Daalder said.
While Trump can’t unilaterally withdraw the U.S. from NATO, a move that Congress would have to approve, he could take steps to diminish the alliance and weaken it as a deterrence, particularly against potential threats from Russia.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-rails-nato-secretary-general-heads-dc-rcna266423
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