NATO

NBC News - NATO’s secretary general Mark Rutte is heading to the White House next week — a visit that both parties said was planned long in advance but comes as President Trump lashes out over European allies’ refusal to join the war with Iran.

Rutte has often sought to tamp down Trump’s long-simmering ire toward the trans-Atlantic alliance, and his practice of refusing to criticize the U.S. has angered some of his European counterparts. Trump’s main issue right now is NATO members’ refusal to show “courage” and lead the fight in clearing the Strait of Hormuz so oil-bearing ships can once again safely pass.

Trump has long had it out for NATO, having declared it obsolete during his first term as he pushed “America First” policies. During his second term, he has gone much further, like saying he might use military force to take Greenland (though he later walked back those comments). While Trump can’t unilaterally withdraw the U.S. from NATO, he could take steps to diminish the alliance and weaken it as a deterrence, particularly against potential threats from Russia.

More on the strained U.S.-NATO relationship.