Against the backdrop of President Trump, Secretary Rubio and Secretary Hegseth pointedly telling NATO of the U.S. intention to draw-down U.S. military operations from Europe, NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte flies to Washington DC to make the pro-NATO sales pitch directly to President Trump.
In one of the most transparent appearances in oval office history, a passionate, self-interested and professionally demure Mark Rutte pours on the praise for President Trump and puts on a massive sales pitch. You can tell from President Trump’s demeanor, tone and general ambivalence, he too can see how over the top the praise and back-slapping is.
Secretary Rutte was intensely and diplomatically focused on not allowing any accurate criticism or statement of disappointment from President Trump be left unchallenged to frame the tone and context of the meeting by the media. This is quite a desperate spectacle to witness when you understand the stakes for Europe which were carried by Rutte. WATCH:
CTH readers can see through the professionally demure motivations of the NATO secretary, and it was obvious from President Trump’s response that Rutte was transparently playing to the U.S. audience and DC stakeholders. That said, you’ve got to give Rutte credit for tap-dancing that fine line.
It was a great sales pitch, and President Trump was very courteous and respectful of the showmanship, but I doubt President Trump was moved much. The G7 assembly in Turkey will be very interesting.
For the G7 (+13) in France, Zelenskyy went all-in with the Ukraine false flag and attack on Moscow. It will be interesting to watch what the “coalition of the willing” have planned for the next assembly.
Slimy; all of them.
You are being generous- they are a lot worse than slime.
True, slime has no agenda other than to survive.
Wait, that’s exactly what the European leeches are doing, they are trying to survive.
I don’t have a problem with them trying to survive. That is normal behavior for all life.
My problem is that they want Americans to shoulder the bulk of their military defence, while they spend their money on other things.
Europe wants American money, weapons, and personnel to keep them safe.
Here is a link to a NATO defense spending tracker dated April 9, 2026.
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/commentary/trackers-and-data-visualizations/nato-defense-spending-tracker/
It’s very informative (I can’t vouch for the accuracy or validity of the information.
Get out now. NATO will be something entirely different than what was once intended when most of the members fall to Islam.
That’s what the
janissariestransnissaries are being groomed for. Zealots to throw at their enemies.How are the extreme Islamists going to reconcile the trannies and overt homosexuals in these globalist entities?
Machetes.
Hang them from rooftops or cranes.
End of problem from the Islamic point of view.
GTFO of NATO
And the UN.
Especially the UN. That would be first on my list.
US out of UN
UN out of US
YES! THIS!! NOW!!!
(and yes, we’re related).
🎯💯🫡
That day can’t come soon enough.
All these pointless meetings, with all these slobbering parasites. I’d love to see Trump just level these asshats, and be done.
Meeting with Rutte: “That reminds me, we’re gonna exit NATO. The staff will show you out.”
Meeting with Zelenskyy: “That reminds me, not another dime. The staff will show you out.”
Meeting with Carney: “That reminds me, we’re gonna exit the USMCA. The staff will show you out.”
You are TOO polite!
💯🎯
Rutte is a globalist operative of the old “rules based international order.” He sees the old order burning down-thanks to our great President-and he’s in a blind panic.
I have never trusted this man. It appears that President Trump sees through him as well.
Trump has led him here.
Like a sheep to slaughter.
For them the end of the free-flowing money is devastating.
Their hubris was built on the backs of American taxpayers.
If there were true political justice the Dutch people would love to have this guy already in prison.
The G6 (+13) only want G7’s billions and for America to stay out unless of course the big bad wolf Putin threatens them! Then they want our military and military aid! Oh hell no! Euroweenies are pathetic! Get out of NATO and the UN!!! Billions of our tax dollars are wasted in Europe and we get nothing in return not even landing rights!!! Screw them!!! America First!!!
The one time we asked them for help, they said NO! To hell with them! The USSR is long gone. NATO is no longer needed. Get the USA out of both NATO and the UN.
Pat Buchanan has spoken about this point at length- all of the conditions that were in place for all these groups such as the UN and NATO, and many treaties, they are all long gone.
We need to be rid of a list of things, accords, treaties, all these chains that today have wound up robbing and binding us.
Nothing anymore is what it was all originally about.
It’s all corrupt outdated useless rubbish !!
You know without a doubt when the EUnuchs and NATO have to constantly create an enemy (Big Bad Russia Russia Russia) to justify their own existence, they’ve died and just hasn’t fallen over yet.
Grifting deadbeats. Fund your own wars.
Especially the fake one in Ukraine
I see it. And once you see it, you can never go back to the time before when you didnt.
At the point where not watching or listening to the devil at all makes reality much clearer. In other words, Ive seen enough.
Yeessssss, my preciousssss…
Snake oil salesman.
NATO the EU the UN are all globalist controlled entities. The only reason they want the US in NATO is so they can waste money on advancing their agenda and not on military needs. Meanwhile the US drives up their deficit spending self destructing on defense spending.
Are they purposely trying to keep him from solving our domestic issues? Of course.
Thank God he’s laser focused, but it feels like they are trying to pull him all over the place on purpose.
Ordinarily I would agree with those who say to leave NATO behind, but if President Trump is signing a resolution with Iran which necessitates inspections to determine that they have not resumed nuclear weapons ambitions, then I would feel better if those inspections did not fall entirely on our shoulders.
Turkey is part of NATO. Would you trust them to conduct nuclear inspections in Iran? Not this girl!
The International Atomic Energy Agency does not inspire confidence without direct supervision from US officials either.
Would you feel better if the UN or NATO or some other groovy globalist outfit took the lead?
Me neither.
I want our President and a successor of God’s choosing to lead the inspections.
There is quite possibly something to be gained; when people are hard up enough to grovel they are very pliable.
Has it not been amazingly amusing to watch the long line of our betters having to sit in the oval office and kiss a$$.
First a little then all at once. Will Europe make it to the midterms?? If we started a major draw.down tommorow would.the population of Europe notice?? Would they react?? Would they see the possibility of a return to normalcy and stability dematerialize?
That was a bad movie too.
This guy must have been a car salesman.
😂
OBSEQUIOUS thy name is Rutte.
🤣
Timeshare salesman and used car salesman.🦨
NATO has outlived its usefulness especially with the European parasites having America foot their defense bill all these years. Europe is no longer relevant on the world stage and members such as the UK and Germany are self destructing via nonsense like the build back better green energy scam. Let them self-implode, the US has more important things to do like build a coalition in our neighborhood with Canada, Mexico, South and Central America.
Somebody told the dope he needed to suck up to PDJT really hard.. unaware of the fact PDJT does not care about obvious boot licking and ass kissing …
The private conversations are the ones that count.
Wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall?
Rutte could not fix the mess in his country, the Netherlands, so he resigned and like many similar situations of failed politicians and leaders was promoted. Why if he could not fix a smaller problem but succeed at fixing a much bigger problem the one NATO faces?
He fueled the mess in his country. His reward was promotion to NATO – to fuel the demise of the Western civilization. .
Rutte was filmed on his way into the meeting
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/ksj0aJdDnB8?ra=m
That would be a Hard No from me.
Falsus in uno; Falsus in omnibus.
False in one thing; false in all things.
You people (NATO) failed to support us, the Union States when we could have used your help, you will not even attempt to carry your fair share of the load, and you belittle us, the United States whenever you get a chance, So No!
You people can have NATO, because Trump is building a Western Hemisphere, North America & South America coalition.
Just remember PDJT, how much BLOOD we have lost from our sons and daughters defending these ungrateful people in two World Wars. Do not bend one inch to these parasites.
everyone is just waiting on Trump to be gone, all of them. The EU, the ChiComms, Canada, Mexico, Iran, the deep-state, and the GOP. They all hate him and they all want him gone.
The GOP senate has been the first to openly crack on how much they all hate Trump. He seriously stalled-out their honey-pot of taxpayer cash and it’ll take a few years to recover after he’s gone.
The EU and the GOP have a ton in-common…….
Pray for good, strong, MAGA / USA-First structure and people to be in place by the time this term is over.
So many on the mark comments here early in the comment game, not meant to be high humor. Yet, I could not stop LOLing. It started with Rutte tap dancing so fast. The expressions on the faces of others were great, also especially, Pres. DJT, approximately 8:18 in the video and his answers. guffaw-worthy. Thank you all.
When you see NATO, think EU, and ask yourself two questions.
Who is the EU considering for membership?
Who is making war with Russia?
NATO is to stopping wars as the as the SPLC is to stopping racism.
They create the reasons for their continued existence.
I’m reminded of the Mel Brooks line in Blazing Saddles:
“We have to protect our phoney baloney jobs gentlemen.”
Give everyone these in lieu of pay.
That sums it up very well.
You could add the EU, led by a politburo
May be a good time for Trump to bring up Greenland again with the G7 bunch.
Mr. President please leave NATO now.
Getting these vibes;
The president said fewer troops and weapons in Europe. Let them fend and spend for themselves. We will concentrate in the Middle East and the far east. Who can really argue with that policy??
Can someone please tell me the name of the man sitting next to Pete Hegseth. Thank you.
Vice President JD Vance.
Or
U.S. NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker
Thank you, SD.
Thanks for asking….I was racking my feeble brain to come up with a name as well .👍🏻 familiar face …but nada…..
And President Trump’s Acting AG after AG Sessions forced resignation and Bill Barr was confirmed as AG. Whitaker by far was the best AG during PT’s first term.
That display of graphs seemed to leave out what the US has done for NATO its members or for any single NATO member since WWII? Those graphs would support President Trumps ire……. What did Our President do in that presser? He showed respect and didn’t hide anything.
I pray those in his administration that go on to run for President in 28 follow his approach to transparency…
Rutte was the longest serving Prime Minister in the Netherlands. This is not a dumb politician. That’s why he got the NATO job. He’s smart enough to try and keep Uncle Sam in the alliance, (and paying the bills).
PDJT’s no dummy either.
Thank you, Sundance. We should already be OUT of NATO
NATO/EU/Globalists are learning the hard way that we are no longer in abusive trade and defense relationships with them.
Our fellow citizens shed a great deal of blood in past world wars and in this century to keep their sorry rear ends out of trouble.
While in the back of my mind I knew the Europeans were living large off of U.S. taxpayers, I am astounded that the entire continent plus Great Britain has shown itself to be nothing but a house of cards. Trump shut the money off, and most of these nations are teetering on the edge. Not only are they not relevant, I’m not sure they can stay afloat in day to day business. It’s exactly like kicking the 42-year-old son out of the basement and into the real world.
Send those guys from the reflecting pool over.
Algae cleanup needed at White House – STAT!
Look at the whole room in the picture further down. Rutte’s the only
one who has his legs crossed like a girl. European thing?
Gender doubt?
For much too long, NATO has been a bulwark of military industrialists which no longer has a reason for existing. Except that it still places orders for weaponry.
There is no reason for the USA to continue to be involved in it. If Europe wants to keep it going, they can damned well pay for it. They are the beneficiaries, not us.
Synonyms: professionally demure, oily
I’m pretty sure he’s wearing too much cologne and probably no deoderant.
How about shutting the corrupt NATO Globalists thugs down and save U.S. taxpayers over 750 billion annually ?
How about letting these NATO countries be held accountable for what they start and we sit back and watch for once ?
Wasn’t it Rutte that wanted to steal the Netherlands agricultural farmland? More like violating EU’s cow gas laws as they fertilized while raising cattle. Europe is in a death spiral due to complete stupidity over the green energy cult. Let the down hard President Trump. Retards all.
President Trump wasn’t about to have Rutte hijack his press conference in the White House. 😂
Rutte looked pathetically weak with his BS charts. He might as well as just said, “We Europeans are shitty people, but not as shitty as we used to be.” Not allowing our military aircraft to leave from their bases was a very shitty thing to do.
Sadly, you can no longer name three things that the US and Western Europe have in common.
I’m reminded of a quote by Ronald Reagan, when he said, “I didn’t leave the Democrat party; the Democrat party left me.”
Is there a more apt metaphor for the relationship between the US and Western Europe? If they have no desire to save their societies from economic and societal collapse due to provoking war with Russia, adopting radical “green” policies and wiping out their very own Western heritage via open borders, then why should we attempt to save them from their own agenda? What are we expected to do, make the region safe for them to see their own own suicide through to completion?
Bottom line: To borrow a phrase from Churchill, why should we expend the “blood, toil, tears and sweat” in order to assist with their suicide? “If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”
Yes, that last bit was from Dickens.
Watching Rutte here I kinda had an epiphany…I’ve seen it before but for some reason, Rutte just played the part so well.. it hit me… I flashed on this as almost like an analog to the musical/movie the Music Man ….
Rutte recognizes that if you look at 47’s orbit and appearances as a genre…(say vaudeville to pick one) and you come on stage and DON’T do vaudeville, you will get ignored or BOOED off…..so he’s figured out his schtick….. to get applause…..
But the deeper relevance of the Music Man is seeing past the outward frivolity, and recognizing what he’s REALLY ALL ABOUT…..
….Sooooo, If you view Trump as Prof. Harold Hill (the Music Man) it brings up a tantalizing insight……
It’s about redemption through belief — a slick con man comes to a buttoned-up small town, stirs everyone up with a fake boys’ band, and ends up genuinely changing lives, including his own. The power of music, community spirit, and having faith in something bigger than yourself turn out to matter more than whether the con was real to begin with.
Trump has this look on his face….:”IDGAS.”
I didn’t read it as the “I don’t Give a S….” initially.
Being up on every and all things Bullwinkle, I read it as “Idiot Gas”,
which Trump probably thinks that Rutte has taken a big huff of.
If that’s the case, then maybe Trump is contemplating using
“Hushaboom, the silent explosive” on Rutte. Just for the nuisance
aspect.
Wow! The body language in that room says it all. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife. I am talking about picture above.
VP Vance seems not too impressed. Definitely wheels turning in his brain.
I love the 747 model on the coffee table. There’s got to be some hidden message there.
We need to GET OUT OF NATO ASAP.
The EU and the UK are a mess.
At some point they may want US to help them straighten it out.
NO thanks.
They intentionally made their country a hell hole and they should get to clean it up.
The Only solution
CIVIL WAR .
(period)
Trying to make a deal with the man who wrote the ‘art of the deal’ is quite amusing. Rutte is an amateur
I recall that when he was Prime Minister of the Netherlands, someone gifted him the book, “The Great Reset”. He is a WEF Globalist of the lowest order…
I truly believe that Rutte is sincere about his feelings, but he is only doing his job and trying to keep it….but Europe is bound and determined to continue its journey to self-destruction and we don’t need to be enablers any longer.
NATO served its purpose but the refusals from members for use of OUR air bases only confirms that it’s shelf life has expired.