Secretary of State Marco Rubio and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Washington. ROD LAMKEY / AP
US President Donald Trump will discuss the possibility of leaving NATO when he meets with the alliance's chief Mark Rutte on Wednesday, the White House said, accusing Washington's partners of "turning their back" on the American people. The meeting comes one day after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire. Trump has expressed anger at Western partners' refusal to back his war on Iran, rocking the 77-year-old transatlantic alliance.
"It's quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks when it's the American people who have been funding their defense," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. When asked if Trump would discuss a possible withdrawal from NATO, Leavitt said: "It's something the president has discussed, and I think it's something the president will be discussing in a couple of hours with Secretary-General Rutte."
"Perhaps you'll hear directly from the president following that meeting," she added.
Trump has branded NATO partners "cowards" for limiting US forces' access to bases on their territories and for refusing to lead efforts to open the strategic Strait of Hormuz. But NATO's secretary-general touts a record of pulling Trump back onside – and will be looking to do so again when he meets the president, as well as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. Ahead of the White House visit, Rutte met with Rubio to talk about Iran, Russia's war against Ukraine and NATO responsibilities.
