The Trump administration is weighing a plan to shift military forces out of some NATO member states that did not back the US war with Iran, as a way to punish nations without withdrawing from the alliance—which President Trump lacks the authority to do. Administration officials said the plan under consideration would redeploy troops from countries viewed by Trump as obstructive to those he sees as more cooperative, the Wall Street Journal reports. With the divide over the war widening between the Trump administration and European allies, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte arrived at the White House on Wednesday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the president believes the alliance members "turned their backs on the American people" during the conflict and that there would be a direct conversation with Rutte about the issue. Rutte, who the Washington Post points out has been deferential to Trump all along, was supportive of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. But anti-American feeling is growing in the nations, making their governments skeptical of cooperation. Aides didn't immediately comment on the Trump-Rutte meeting, but the president repeated his complaint afterward in a social media post, per the AP. "NATO WASN'T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON'T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN," it read.
Officials have not finalized which nations would lose US forces, but Spain, Germany, Italy, and France have drawn administration criticism, per the Journal. Countries that could gain troops include Poland, Romania, Lithuania, and Greece, which the administration views as supportive. Eastern European members have higher defense spending and were early backers of a coalition to monitor the Strait of Hormuz. European officials have complained that they were not consulted before the war, limiting their ability to respond in its initial phase. Trump can't legally pull the US out of NATO without the approval of Congress.
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