Published: 12:13 AM, 10 April 2026
Trump criticizes Nato over Iran
US President Donald Trump was "absolutely disappointed" during a meeting with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday.
The two leaders met at the White House to discuss the US-Israeli war against Iran, in which Nato allies did not actively participate.
"NATO WASN'T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON'T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform shortly after the meeting, DW reports.
Rutte - the former Dutch prime minister who has been dubbed the "Trump whisperer" for his ability to flatter the US president - shared some of the details in an interview with CNN afterward.
"This was a very frank, a very open discussion. But also a discussion between two good friends," Rutte said of the meeting held behind closed doors at the White House.
The meeting came a day after the US and Iran agreed to a tenuous two-week ceasefire. Trump has repeatedly called Nato a "paper tiger" and threatened to pull out of the 32-member military alliance that spans Europe and North America.
Ahead of the meeting, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt acknowledged that Trump had once again discussed pulling out of Nato.
"I think it's something the president will be discussing in a couple of hours with Secretary General Rutte," she told reporters before the leaders met.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was looking to punish some NATO members he believed were unhelpful during the war by potentially moving US troops out of their countries.
