U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stepped back from an immediate rupture of the transatlantic alliance on Wednesday, holding a closed-door White House summit driven by intense European fallout over the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.
The April 8 talks concluded without a formal U.S. withdrawal declaration. Rutte characterized the high-stakes discussion as “very open.” Tensions between Washington and European allies reached a boiling point after several NATO members, including France and Spain, refused to participate in military operations or assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz following an Iranian blockade.
A fragile, two-week ceasefire brokered late Tuesday lowered the immediate military temperature. The diplomatic damage remains severe. As retaliation for the lack of allied support, the administration is weighing plans to relocate American troops out of uncooperative NATO nations, according to a detailed report on the rift.
Despite avoiding an official exit, Trump quickly resumed his attacks on the alliance. Hours after Rutte left the White House, the president posted on Truth Social: “NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!”
🚨 TRUMP SLAMS NATO AND REVIVES GREENLAND DISPUTE.
President Donald Trump criticized NATO for not supporting the U.S. during the recent conflict with Iran. He posted on Truth Social that the alliance failed to help when needed and warned it may fail again. He also revived his… pic.twitter.com/l9mR3v5jsS
— The Content Factory (@tcf_updates) April 9, 2026
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later stated Trump believes the alliance was “tested, and they failed,” citing the financial burden shouldered by the American public to fund European defense.
How the 2023 Rubio Law Blocks a Sudden Presidential Exit
The immediate threat of a U.S. withdrawal is currently constrained by domestic legislation rather than international diplomacy. A formal exit would trigger an unprecedented constitutional battle due to a 2023 law championed by current Secretary of State Marco Rubio. That legislation strictly prohibits any U.S. president from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO without either a two-thirds Senate majority vote or a dedicated act of Congress.
European leaders are now bracing for an alternative strategy. With a hard legal exit blocked, the U.S. can remain in the alliance on paper while fundamentally hollowing out its troop presence in Western Europe, moving physical assets to nations that supported the recent Middle East campaign.