Day: April 8, 2026

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.

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. “NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN,” Trump said in his post. The White House did not immediately offer any further updates.

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. The nascent ceasefire was struck after Trump said he would strike Iran’s power plants and bridges, threatening that “a whole civilization will die tonight.”

Earlier Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged that Trump had discussed leaving NATO. “I think it’s something the president will be discussing in a couple of hours with Secretary-General Rutte,” Leavitt said.

Congress in 2023 passed a law that prevents any U.S. president from pulling out of NATO without its approval. Trump has been a longtime critic of NATO and in his first term had suggested he had the authority on his own to leave the alliance, which was founded in 1949 to counter the Cold War threat posed to European security by the Soviet Union.

The crux of the commitment its 32 member countries make is a mutual defense agreement in which an attack on one is considered an attack on them all. The only time it has been activated was in 2001, to support the United States in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

READ MORE: https://13wham.com/news/nation-world/trump-slams-nato-after-hinting-pulling-the-us-out-citing-lack-of-support-during-crisis-mark-rutte-iran-truth-social-politics-international
_______________
Stay up to date with our social media:

13 WHAM on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/13WHAM
13 WHAM on Twitter: https://twitter.com/13WHAM
13WHAM on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/13whamtv/?hl=en
13WHAM on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@13wham?lang=en

13 WHAM Daily Local News Digest: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuTJB6tta5ar3Fu5CumAvlvVunEP6bc9A

For more information, visit https://13wham.com/

Have a news tip? Send it directly to us:

Email us: news@13wham.com
Call the Newsroom: (585) 334-8700

WHAM is a NY based station and a ABC Television affiliate owned and operated by Deerfield Media, Inc and receives certain services from an affiliation of Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today.

#13WHAM #News #Rochester #NewYork