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By Gabe Whisnant and Leonardo Feldman
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President Donald Trump is expected to raise the possibility of the United States withdrawing from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) during his Wednesday meeting with the alliance’s secretary‑general, following renewed criticism of member countries over their support for the war with Iran.
Trump said earlier this month that he was considering pulling the U.S. out of the 32‑member alliance, arguing that NATO has failed to adequately support the United States and Israel during the conflict, especially in leading with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. His comments echo long‑running complaints that member nations do not contribute enough to their own defense.
In response to a question from Newsweek's Leonardo Feldman during Wednesday's press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump plans to discuss the issue directly with NATO Secretary‑General Mark Rutte during talks at the White House.
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“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,” Leavitt said when asked whether Trump remains open to leaving the alliance.
Rutte met separately with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday morning at the State Department ahead of the White House talks. In a statement, the State Department said the two discussed the war with Iran, U.S. diplomacy aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, and what it described as “increasing coordination and burden shifting with NATO allies.”
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Leavitt also said Trump plans to address NATO’s role in regional security directly with Rutte.
“They were tested and they failed,” Levitt said, reading from a past Trump quote on NATO.
She added: “NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks.”
Is the US Leaving NATO?
The United States is not in the process of formally leaving NATO, but Trump has repeatedly raised the possibility. Trump and senior administration officials say the alliance has failed to adequately support the U.S. and Israel during the war with Iran, reviving long‑standing complaints about burden‑sharing among NATO members.
Those tensions have intensified since the Iran war began in late February. Trump has repeatedly argued that securing the Strait of Hormuz is primarily the responsibility of countries that rely most on Middle Eastern oil flows, not the United States.
“Go to the strait and just take it,” Trump said last week, criticizing allies for what he described as a lack of initiative.
His frustration has been compounded by decisions from allies, including France and Spain, to restrict or deny U.S. access to their airspace or military facilities for operations related to the Iran war. While those countries and others have signaled willingness to participate in a post‑conflict international effort to secure Hormuz, they declined to support active combat operations.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whom Trump has criticized publicly in recent days, was scheduled to travel to the Gulf region on Wednesday to support the ceasefire and advance plans for a long‑term security arrangement for the strait. British officials say London has been working on proposals to protect navigation in the narrow corridor between Iran and Oman once the fighting ends.
Any U.S. withdrawal would face significant legal hurdles: Congress passed a law in 2023 requiring congressional approval for a president to exit the alliance. While no such vote has been sought, the threat has heightened tensions with allies and injected uncertainty into NATO’s future.
Ironically, the legislation was spearheaded by Rubio when he served in the Senate. Rubio, now secretary of state, voted in favor of the measure, which was designed to prevent a president from unilaterally pulling the United States out of NATO.
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Why Was NATO Formed?
NATO was founded in 1949 in the aftermath of World War II to provide collective defense against the threat posed by the Soviet Union. The alliance is built on the principle that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, a commitment enshrined in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. That commitment has been invoked only once, after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.
Several U.S. lawmakers have publicly stressed that while urging Trump to refrain from further undermining the alliance. Senator Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican and senior member of the Senate’s defense‑oversight committee, issued a statement Tuesday night backing NATO and warning against sustained attacks on allies.
“Following the September 11th attacks, NATO allies sent their young servicemembers to fight and die alongside America’s own in Afghanistan and Iraq,” McConnell said. He urged Trump to be “clear and consistent” about U.S. commitments and argued it is not in America’s interest to “spend more time nursing grudges with allies who share our interests than deterring adversaries who threaten us.”
NATO leaders have grown increasingly uneasy since Trump returned to office, particularly after he reduced U.S. military support for Ukraine and questioned longstanding security arrangements in Europe. The alliance was further unsettled by Trump’s remarks earlier this year suggesting the United States might seek to seize Greenland, a territory belonging to NATO ally Denmark.
Rutte, who has maintained cordial relations with Trump, now faces the delicate task of reassuring the president that NATO still serves U.S. interests while managing deep divisions among allies over Iran and the future of Middle East security.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Update 4/8/26, 2:59 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 4/8/26, 5:49 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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