Trump · Fortune Technology
Trump rips into NATO after closed-door meeting: 'WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM'
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President Donald Trump repeated his complaint about NATO after a closed-door meeting with the alliance’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday for discussions that had been expected to be aimed at soothing Trump’s anger with the military alliance over the Iran war.
Key facts
- Earlier Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged that Trump had discussed leaving NATO
- Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee in Washington and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report
- Congress in 2023 passed a law that prevents any U.S. president from pulling out of NATO without its approval
- NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN,” Trump said in his post
Summary
Ahead of the private meeting, Trump had suggested the U.S. may consider leaving the trans-Atlantic alliance after NATO member countries ignored his call to help as Iran effectively shut the the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping waterway, and sent gas prices soaring. Afterward, he issued an all-caps comment on social media suggesting he remained aggrieved. The Republican president has had a warm relationship with Rutte in the past, and the meeting came after the U.S. and Iran late Tuesday agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the strait. Earlier Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged that Trump had discussed leaving NATO.