Trump's outrage at NATO allies over their failure to join the Iran war had prompted fears he would seek to pull the United States out of the nearly eight-decade-old alliance.
US President Donald Trump berated NATO again on Thursday after he appeared to renew his threats to take over Greenland following a closed-door meeting the day before with the alliance’s chief Mark Rutte, during which he was expected to discuss the possibility of leaving the security bloc.
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“None of these people, including our own, very disappointing, NATO, understood anything unless they have pressure placed upon them,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, without giving any further explanation.
Trump's outrage at NATO allies over their failure to join the US in the Iran war had prompted fears he would seek to pull the US out of the nearly eight-decade-old alliance.
In his first remarks after the meeting with Rutte on Wednesday, he simply reiterated his frustration.
"NATO wasn't there when we needed them, and they won't be there if we need them again," he posted on Truth Social.
"Remember Greenland, that big, poorly run, piece of ice," he added.
Trump's threat to seize the vast island in the north Atlantic from NATO ally Denmark was a key issue roiling the alliance earlier this year.
Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister dubbed the "Trump whisperer" for his skill in flattering the US leader, entered the West Wing through a side gate, and their meeting was held behind closed doors.
"It was a very frank, it was a very open discussion," Rutte later told CNN in a televised interview.
Asked multiple times if Trump had said whether he would leave the alliance, Rutte did not answer directly.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters ahead of the meeting that a possible withdrawal is "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."
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was alternatively looking at punishing some NATO members he believed were unhelpful during the war by moving US troops out of their countries.
The meeting came one day after Washington and Tehran agreed to a fragile two-week ceasefire.
The US president has earlier branded NATO a "paper tiger" after some of its members refused to lead efforts to open the strategic Strait of Hormuz and limited US forces from using bases on their territories.
Trump has lashed out at several leaders personally, lambasting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as "no Winston Churchill" and ridiculing Britain's naval vessels as "toys".
The plan reported by the Wall Street Journal would fall short of Trump's oft-voiced threats to pull the US out of NATO entirely, a move that would require congressional approval.
Crisis after crisis
NATO's secretary general, however, boasts a record of pulling Trump back onto his side.
Ahead of the White House visit, Rutte met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss Iran, Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, and NATO responsibilities.
"The two leaders discussed Operation Epic Fury, ongoing US-led efforts to bring a negotiated end to the Russia-Ukraine war, and increasing coordination and burden shifting with NATO Allies," State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
Rutte is also expected to meet with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth during his time in Washington.
NATO has been buffeted by crisis after crisis since Trump returned to power last year, most acutely by his threat to seize Greenland.
In recent months, he has also pulled the rug out from under Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russia's full-scale invasion and threatened not to protect allies unless they spend more on defence.
Rutte has been central to allied efforts to flatter and mollify the US leader, whom he called "daddy" at a summit last year.
On Iran, he has sought to thread the needle by calling US efforts to degrade Tehran's military capability something to "applaud".
Foreign entanglements
Also on Thursday, the former US director of the National Counterterrorism Centre Joe Kent said in a social media post that the US potentially withdrawing from NATO would not be to "avoid foreign entanglements" but to back Israel in any fighting against Turkey.
"We'll be leaving NATO so we can side with Israel when Turkey and Israel eventually clash in Syria," Kent wrote in a post on X.
Turkey is a long-time member of NATO while Israel is not, and if Ankara were to invoke the alliance's Article 5 mutual defence clause, Washington would be legally obliged to support Turkey.
"Time to stop playing arsonist and fireman in the Middle East, it’s just not worth it," Kent said.
Turkey and Israel have been engaged in a strategic conflict over what Syria should look like after the December 2024 ouster of former dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Turkey wants a stable Syrian state under its sphere of influence to combat any Kurdish autonomy movement, while Israel prefers a fragmented Syria to prevent a potential hostile power on its border.
Kent, a Republican, resigned as director of the National Counterterrorism Centre in March, citing his concerns about the justification for military strikes in Iran and saying he "cannot in good conscience" back the war.
“I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security,” Trump told reporters after Kent resigned. “It’s a good thing that he’s out because he said Iran was not a threat.”