Trump slams NATO as Rutte calls meeting 'very frank'
Why it matters: Congress mandates a two‑thirds Senate vote for any U.S. NATO withdrawal, limiting Trump’s ability to exit the alliance.
- Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that NATO wasn’t there when the US needed it and warned the alliance could be absent again, reviving talk of a U.S. withdrawal.
- Mark Rutte told CNN the meeting was “very frank” and “very open,” emphasizing that most European NATO members have provided basing, logistics and overflights and view Iran’s nuclear threat as illegal.
- Congress approved a 2023 law requiring a two‑thirds Senate majority or an act of Congress before any president can unilaterally leave NATO.
After a private White House talk with NATO chief Mark Rutte, Donald Trump blasted the alliance for not backing the US in the Iran conflict and warned he could quit, while Rutte described the discussion as “very frank” and pointed to extensive European logistical support. The clash underscores Trump’s lingering doubts about NATO despite congressional rules that make a unilateral U.S. exit difficult.
