NATO chief heads to Washington as Trump 2.0 flames the alliance

Driving the news: Rutte is expected to meet with Trump days after the commander in chief called allies "cowards" for not throwing themselves at the Strait of Hormuz and described NATO as a "paper tiger" incapable of intimidating Russia.

• Lawmakers like Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) have called on the U.S. to find the nearest exit while Moscow's delegates, including Kirill Dmitriev, amplify such thinking.

What they're saying: Some of Rutte's previous visits "have been hugely consequential. Others have just been 'check in, take the temperature, maintain good ties,'" Julianne Smith, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, told Axios.

• "This one is going to carry a lot of weight," she said. "Rutte has a big challenge ahead of him. It will be similar to him sitting down with the president at Davos to try to cool temperatures."

The intrigue: Rutte has been cast by some as a Trump whisperer, capable of juggling public flattery and backroom diplomacy.

• "My sense is that Trump enjoys meeting with him," Smith said. "He trusts Rutte."
• Some in Europe think Rutte is going too far to coddle an unreliable American ally.

Between the lines: The gulf between the U.S. and Europe is motivating rearmament conversations across the pond.

• Washington worries about Beijing in its supply chain while Brussels worries about its exposure to Washington.

Our thought bubble: Rutte was right to call for a fourfold spending increase on air-and-missile defense.

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