The 14th Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, shut down CNN’s Jake Tapper Wednesday as he expressed support for President Trump and his decisions in Operation Epic Fury while echoing concerns that NATO allies have once again failed to rise to the occasion and continue to rely heavily on American strength for their own security.
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During the interview, Rutte refused to get bogged down in the president’s now-familiar aggressive rhetoric, as both Republicans and Democrats raised concerns after Trump vowed to destroy an entire civilization on Tuesday if Iran refused to open the Strait of Hormuz.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”
Tapper: When Trump threatened to wipe out the entire Iranian civilization, did that bother you as a diplomat?
Rutte: I’m not commenting on that. What I want you to know is… I support the president.
Trump BROKE Tapper, again. pic.twitter.com/dufY567BqZ
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) April 8, 2026
Then Tapper asked if the world was safer now than before Operation Epic Fury began. The NATO chief was adamant that it is.
Tapper: Is the world safer today than it was before the war was started?
Rutte: Absolutely… thanks to President Trump’s leadership. pic.twitter.com/3WQcgPG91F
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 8, 2026
Rutte went on to defend the president’s frustration with NATO allies throughout the course of the Iran war.
He argued that there was a very real chance negotiations with Iran would end in a “North Korea moment,” where “you talk so long, that at a certain moment it’s beyond the point where you can still get this done, because then they would get their hands on the nuclear capacity.”
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“Do you agree that NATO countries, some of them, were tested and failed?” Tapper then asked.
“Some of them, yes, but a large majority of European countries, and that’s what we discussed today, have done what they promised before in a case like this, because they know that when it comes to NATO, it’s there to protect the United States, because the US needs a secure Atlantic, and a secure Arctic, and a secure Europe, to stay safe here in the US mainland,” Rutte replied. “But it is also there to make sure that, of course, Europe is safe, and to be this platform of power projection for the United States.”
🚨 BREAKING: NATO SecGen Mark Rutte STUNS THE WORLD, comes out in SUPPORT of President Trump flaming our allies for abandoning the US during Operation Epic Fury
This comes after Rutte met 47 at the White House
RUTTE: “Some of them [failed]!” 🔥
“[Iran] would lead to a North… pic.twitter.com/7pjlbm8nJQ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 8, 2026
Rutte also dismissed suggestions that the United States might withdraw from NATO, revealing that he was able to convince the president that while some NATO allies have actively gotten in the way of the Trump administrations foreign policy in Iran, other have been supportive.
“Well, let me be absolutely clear. He is clearly disappointed with many NATO allies,” Rutte said. “And I can see his point. But at the same time, I was also able to point to the fact that the large majority of European nations has been helpful with basing, with logistics, with overflights, with making sure that they lift up to the commitments. And there is also widespread support for the fact that degrading the nuclear and the ballistic missile capacity from Iran was really crucial. And that only the US was able at this point to do that.”
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CNN’s Jake Tapper: “How was the meeting? Did [President Trump] say he’s withdrawing?”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: “He’s clearly disappointed with NATO allies, and I can see his point.”
“There is also widespread support for the fact that degrading the nuclear and… pic.twitter.com/EBSOyLdFbb
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) April 8, 2026
Editor’s Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
Help us report the truth about the Trump administration’s decisive actions to keep Americans safe and bring peace to the world. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
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