USA Trump’s NATO Moment: 'Daddy' Remark Sparks Laughter and Global Headlines

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Trump’s NATO Moment: 'Daddy' Remark Sparks Laughter and Global Headlines

 

President Donald Trump stirred headlines once again during the NATO summit in The Hague after a moment of levity involving the word “daddy” prompted laughter, awkward clarifications, and some viral clips. The phrase, originally uttered by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during discussions on the Iran-Israel ceasefire, became the centerpiece of Trump’s closing press conference — and a moment Marco Rubio, now Secretary of State, couldn't keep a straight face through.

BREAKING: In a bizarre moment, Donald Trump defends the NATO chief calling him “daddy.” REPORTER: “Do you regard your NATO allies as children? TRUMP: He did it very affectionately. Daddy, you’re my daddy.” What is this weird shit??

pic.twitter.com/5kjKuhm4z1

— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) June 25, 2025

 

It all began earlier on Wednesday during a bilateral meeting between Trump and Rutte, where the two leaders discussed the tenuous ceasefire between Iran and Israel, which Trump had announced earlier in the week. Speaking about Trump’s assertive language regarding the conflict, Rutte noted, “Daddy has to use strong language” to bring warring nations to the table. This followed Trump’s brash commentary on the conflict the day before, when he had told reporters, “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*** they’re doing.”

 

He's already the world's most powerful man, but US President Donald Trump got a new nickname on Wednesday from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

VIDEO: 🇳🇱 🇺🇸 'And then Daddy has to sometimes use strong language...'

He's already the world's most powerful man, but US President Donald Trump got a new nickname on Wednesday from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte#AFPVertical pic.twitter.com/ZdRjimIAzo

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 25, 2025

 

During the press conference that followed, a reporter asked Trump how he felt about being referred to as “daddy.” Trump responded with characteristic bravado and humor. “No, he likes me, I think he likes me! If he doesn’t I’ll let you know and I’ll come back and I’ll hit him hard, OK?” he said, smiling. “He did it very affectionately though. ‘Daddy, you’re my daddy,’” he added with a grin. Standing beside him, Rubio — known for his typically restrained demeanor — burst into laughter, bowing his head and unable to hold it in.

 

 

Trump went on to explain why he used coarse language in reference to the Iran-Israel situation. “You have to use strong language. Every once in a while you have to use a certain word,” he said, defending his use of profanity as necessary to emphasize the seriousness of global conflicts. The president previously mouthed the F-word at a 2016 campaign rally and used “bulls***” during a White House briefing earlier this year.

 

 

Rutte, during a follow-up interview, attempted to walk back the “daddy” phrasing, clarifying that he hadn’t directly referred to Trump that way. “The ‘daddy’ thing, I didn’t call him daddy,” Rutte said. “What I said is that sometimes in Europe, I hear countries saying, ‘Hey Mark, will the U.S. stay with us?’ And I said that sounds a little bit like a small child asking his daddy, ‘Are you still staying with the family?’ So in that sense I was using ‘daddy,’ not that I was calling President Trump ‘daddy.’”

 

Nevertheless, the label appeared to amuse the president, who was asked whether he viewed NATO allies “as sort of children.” Trump demurred slightly, but reinforced his long-held belief that European nations need to do more to support their own defense. “They’re obviously listening to you and they’re spending more,” the reporter noted. “But do you think they can actually defend Europe on their own, without you?”

 

“I think they’ll need a little help at the beginning,” Trump replied. “And I think they’re going to remember this day. This is a big day for NATO, this is a very big day.”

 

Indeed, earlier in the day, NATO members agreed to a key U.S.-backed initiative: a pledge to invest 5 percent of GDP on defense and security-related spending by 2035, a long-standing Trump priority. When asked again whether European countries could truly defend themselves, Trump directed the question back to Rutte: “Well, ask Mark. I think you have to ask Mark, OK?”

 

The term “daddy” isn’t new to Trump’s political orbit. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson had once nicknamed the president “daddy” as well, though he has recently criticized Trump, particularly after the U.S. bombed three Iranian nuclear sites.

 

In the end, what began as a metaphor for transatlantic dependence turned into a surreal yet oddly characteristic moment for the Trump presidency — one part serious diplomacy, one part comedy of political manners, and every bit as unpredictable as the man at the podium.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Daily Mail  2025-06-27

 

 

[JonnyF]

Trump has a great sense of humour.

 

Marvellous. 

[newbee2022]

Well done by Mark Rutte.

To get attention from an old, almost dement, incoherently speaking dumb nut, you have to speak on his level.

So, to call him "Daddy" shoes only the way to talk to that genius: toddler language.