Trump to meet NATO chief as he weighs exiting western alliance

Trump’s anger at NATO countries for not supporting US military efforts has led him to threaten to pull the US out of the transatlantic pact.

The White House continued to put NATO on edge overnight, saying the US withdrawal could be on the agenda when Trump and Rutte sit in the Oval Office.

In a statement from Trump provided by his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, he said NATO allies were “tested and failed” when he launched a war with Iran and that they did not come to the United States’ aid.

“And I would like to add, it’s quite sad that NATO has turned its back on the American people over the last six weeks, when it is the American people who are funding their defense.”

When asked if the US was still considering withdrawing from NATO, Leavitt said: “It is something that the president has discussed and I think it is something that the president will discuss with Secretary General Rutte in a few hours.”

Trump has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the 77-year security alliance with Canada, Britain, France and 28 other European countries during his first term.

He has long argued that they have been too dependent on the powerful US military to support NATO, and that other member states need to increase their defense spending. 

But Congress would have to approve a withdrawal from NATO, which seems unlikely.

Trump has previously said he and Rutte have a good relationship, describing the former Dutch prime minister as a “great person”.

But that has been tested in the past six weeks, with the US president describing NATO as a “paper tiger” for not joining attacks on Iran.

Trump was particularly angry with the alliance countries for not offering to help secure the Strait of Hormuz – through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows.

He emphasized that this is not the job of the US military, but the responsibility of countries that depend on the flow of oil through it.

“Go to the Straits and just get it,” Trump said last week. 

Trump was also angry when NATO allies Spain and France banned or restricted US use of their airspace or joint military facilities during the war.

However, they and other countries agreed to help with an international coalition to open the Strait of Hormuz when the conflict ends.

– With associated press

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