NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was in Washington, D.C., yesterday. He met with President Trump as relations within the alliance are beginning to fray. Some nations are unwilling to allow their airspace to be used for any activity related to Operation Epic Fury. They’re also not eager to deploy naval forces to stabilize the Persian Gulf, especially the Strait of Hormuz. If anyone should be involved in that effort, it’s NATO members—they are the ones who need that waterway open.
Trump is considering closing bases in countries that have abandoned us during Epic Fury. Rutte described the discussions as honest, though they were between friends. On CNN, he probably angered liberals by saying the world is safer, thanks to Trump.
Fake Tapper: "Is the world safer today than it was before the war was started?"@SecGenNATO: "Absolutely — and this is thanks to President Trump's leadership." pic.twitter.com/1tccKz8zK2
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 9, 2026
He also agreed with the president’s criticism of NATO countries. Host Jake Tapper played a clip of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quoting the president about NATO: “They were tested, and they failed.”
Rutte agreed that some of them had failed.
🚨 BREAKING: NATO SecGen Mark Rutte STUNS THE WORLD, comes out in SUPPORT of President Trump flaming our allies for abandoning the US during Operation Epic Fury
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 8, 2026
This comes after Rutte met 47 at the White House
RUTTE: "Some of them [failed]!" 🔥
"[Iran] would lead to a North… pic.twitter.com/7pjlbm8nJQ
"I want alliances where people are going to fight alongside me to the fullest extent."
— Katie Pavlich Tonight (@KatiePavlichNN) April 9, 2026
@mobbs_mentality reacts to NATO members' reaction to Operation Epic Fury and resulting tension with the United States. pic.twitter.com/6WcsDEbvIb
Quite a striking remark, and one that probably wasn't what liberal newsrooms wanted to hear. Europe has been one of the most ineffective, ungrateful allies we could have associated ourselves with—we should turn to Japan.
JUST IN: Rutte declines to answer whether Trump expressed desire to leave NATO in today’s meeting, but describes the talk as “very frank” https://t.co/m3CqvKwjlW
— Polymarket (@Polymarket) April 9, 2026
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte describes his meeting w/ President Trump today on @CNN as “a very frank, very open discussion, but it was also a discussion between two good friends.”
— Julia Manchester (@JuliaManch) April 8, 2026
Says Trump “is clearly disappointed” with NATO allies.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump is considering PUNISHING the NATO countries which were UNHELPFUL to the US during the Iran operation, per WSJ
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 8, 2026
Trump would move US troops OUT of those particular NATO countries, and station them in countries that SUPPORTED the US.
No brainer.
And… pic.twitter.com/3BpXXo56kx
NYT's Peter Baker: It Feels Like The NATO Alliance Is All But Over
— RCP Video (@rcpvideo) April 4, 2026
Baker on Washington Week: "Now, he has backed off of the threat at the moment, but it does feel like that the alliance basically is all but over. It's in name -- everything but name only. Yes, there's still a… pic.twitter.com/Zvf5VdiErA