NATO chief Mark Rutte battles fierce backlash after calling Donald Trump 'Daddy'

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has come under fire after referring to Donald Trump as “daddy” during the alliance’s annual summit as he was forced to defend his campaign of Trump flattery.

The comment triggered widespread backlash and raised fresh concerns over the politicisation of the organisation’sleadership. The former Dutch Prime Minister made the remark while praising Trump’s approach to the Iran-Israel ceasefire, saying: “Sometimes daddy has to use strong words”. Rutte spoke in reference to the US President’s expletive-laden tirade outside the White House when the president shouted, “They don’t know what the f*** they’re doing,”** in reference to the Iran-Israel ceasefire fiasco he claims to have masterminded.

Asked about the ‘Daddy’ comment, Trump later said: “He likes me, I think he likes me. If he doesn’t, I’ll let you know. I’ll come back, and I’ll hit him hard, OK? Very affectionate.”

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The exchange capped off a volatile summit dominated by Trump’s demands, vague promises, and escalating attacks aimed at both allies and adversaries. The US President declared victory after securing a pledge from alliance members to increase defence spending to five per cent of GDP, calling it a “very historic milestone.”

“It’s a monumental win for the United States, because we were carrying much more than our fair share,” Trump said. “It’s been a big win to Europe and for Western civilisation.”But within hours, Trump turned his attention to Spain, threatening to impose punitive trade tariffs unless Madrid meets the new target.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had suggested Spain might seek an opt-out. “I think it’s unfair they’re not paying,” Trump said. “I’m going to negotiate directly with Spain… I’m going to do it myself. You know what we’re going to do, we’re negotiating with Spain on a trade deal… we’re going to make them pay twice as much.”

Trump also acknowledged that his long-standing claim to resolve the war in Ukraine within 24 hours has fallen short. “It’s more difficult than people would have any idea. Vladimir Putin has been more difficult,” he admitted, adding that he’d had “some problems” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the past.

Still, Trump described a meeting with Zelensky on the sidelines of the summit yesterday as cordial, saying it “couldn’t have been nicer.” When asked by a Ukrainian journalist if he would send Patriot missile systems to protect Ukraine from Russian airstrikes, Trump did not commit.

“We’ll see if we can make some available,” he told a reporter, whose husband is a soldier. “That’s rough stuff... I can see it’s very upsetting to you. Say hello to your husband for me.”

Trump also issued a full-throated defence of the US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, after intelligence leaks suggested the damage inflicted may have been significantly less than the White House initially claimed. “I got a call from pilots on the planes, they were devastated because [the media] was trying to minimise the attack… they have real scum come out and write reports that are as negative as they could possibly be,” Trump said.

He insisted that Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, one of the primary targets, had been “obliterated.” “The whole thing is collapsed, and a disaster. And I think all of the nuclear stuff is down there, because it’s very hard to remove,” he claimed.

Trump then walked away from the podium, as he was pressed further, handing the stage to his Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News presenter. Hegseth backed up his boss. “So if you want to make an assessment of what happened at Fordow, you better get a big shovel and go really deep, because Iran’s nuclear programme is obliterated and somebody, somewhere, is trying to leak something…” Hegseth boasted.

Not all of NATO’s heads of state were impressed by Rutte’s handling of Trump. Sources told the Mirror that European leaders were increasingly frustrated with Trump’s increasingly unilateral tone. The decision to reduce the summit’s official communiqué to a single page and shorten the meeting to just three hours was a deliberate attempt to prevent one of Trump’s signature blow-ups.

But the view of Rutte’s deference - particularly in referring to Trump as “daddy” - amplified concerns about the Secretary General’s impartiality. Critics say toadying comment undermined NATO’s credibility while highlighting a deeper shift in the alliance’s power dynamics.

Rutte was forced to deny that his campaign of flattery aimed at Donald Trump was “demeaning”. The Nato secretary-general told a news conference: “It is a question of taste.”

As Trump departed The Hague, declaring “a big win for America”, the unease among European leaders was apparent.