Trump “When we needed them, NATO was not there... Remember Greenland”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (left) poses for a photo with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., on the 8th. AP Yonhap News

U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on the 8th (local time) about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), stating, “When we needed them, NATO was not there, and when we need them again, they will not be there,” AFP reported that day. In this social media post expressing dissatisfaction with NATO, President Trump emphasized his words by using all capital letters, except for the word ‘President’ when writing ‘President DJT’ (short for Donald J. Trump).

President Trump posted this after meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House that afternoon. Secretary General Rutte visited the White House that day to soothe President Trump’s dissatisfaction with NATO. However, judging from the post in which President Trump again voiced complaints about NATO, Rutte’s effort to mollify Trump may not have had much effect. Secretary General Rutte has been criticized for excessively catering to U.S. President Donald Trump.

After more than two hours of talks with President Trump that day, Secretary General Rutte appeared on CNN and said, “He is clearly disappointed with NATO allies, and I understand his argument.” He then said that the majority of European countries have cooperated with the United States, and he has also stated that he supports a war with Iran.

Earlier, on the 27th of last month, President Trump said, “Because we spend hundreds of billions of dollars on NATO every year, the United States would make a lot of money if it withdrew (from NATO),” adding, “We have always been by their side, but in light of their actions now, it seems we do not need to be.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said on the 30th of last month that he was “very disappointed” with NATO, which refused requests such as dispatching warships to the Strait of Hormuz, and stated that he would review relations with NATO after the war against Iran ends.

President Trump also wrote in his Truth Social post that day, “Remember that big, badly run chunk of ice, Greenland.” He did not specifically explain what he meant by referring to Greenland in this way.

President Trump has strongly signaled his hope that the United States would annex Greenland. When NATO allies vehemently opposed this, President Trump at one point suggested that he would not rule out military action to secure Greenland. He also threatened allies by brandishing tariff imposition.

On January 21, after meeting Secretary General Rutte on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump announced a principle of ruling out the use of force regarding Greenland and withdrew his threat to impose tariffs on eight European countries.