Trump was alternatively looking at punishing some NATO members he believed were unhelpful during the conflict by moving US troops out of their countries, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Rutte – the former Dutch premier dubbed the “Trump whisperer” for his skill in flattering the mercurial US leader – entered the West Wing through a side gate and their meeting was being held behind closed doors.
“It’s quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks when it’s the American people who have been funding their defence,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
Asked if Trump would discuss a possible withdrawal from NATO, Leavitt said: “It’s 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.”
The meeting comes one day after the United States and Iran agreed to a fragile two-week ceasefire.
Trump has expressed anger at Western partners’ refusal to back his war on Iran, rocking a transatlantic alliance that at the age of 77 is only two years younger than him.
The US leader has branded NATO a “paper tiger” for refusing to lead efforts to open the strategic Strait of Hormuz and for limiting US forces from using bases on their territories.