Mark Rutte has finally addressed his viral remark calling President Donald Trump “daddy.” He offered a new explanation for the comment, which became one of the most talked-about moments of last year’s NATO summit and was symbolic of America’s European allies grovelling to appease the US President.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, the NATO Secretary-General said the phrase came from what he described as his “insufficient command of the English language.” He added that he only later realized the word carried “a lot of connotations.”
Rutte’s explanation revisited a comment he made in June 2025 during the NATO summit in The Hague. At that time, Trump was discussing Israel and Iran and compared the two countries to children fighting in a schoolyard.
As Trump spoke about using tough language to stop the conflict, Rutte responded, “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language.” This line quickly made its rounds on social media, leading to mockery.
Q: Do you still consider Trump “daddy” after yesterday?
Mark Rutte: “I was not calling him my daddy, but saying—but of course, ‘daddy’ has also a special connotation, and I have to stay with this for the rest of my life.” pic.twitter.com/jF1mCgFiIg
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) April 9, 2026
Reuters reported that the White House took advantage of Rutte’s comment by posting a video using the phrase “Daddy’s home,” while Trump himself joked about the label after the exchange with Rutte.
The viral comment came to symbolize how far NATO leaders were willing to go to keep Trump engaged with the alliance while he pressed member states to spend more on defense.
In his latest account, Mark Rutte said the remark was not meant as a personal nickname for Trump. According to his interview with Politico’s Dasha Burns, Rutte said he was trying to describe how some European countries look to the United States for reassurance when questions come up about Washington’s long-term commitment to NATO.
He said that, in his mind, it was more like a child asking whether a father would stay with the family, not a direct label for the U.S. President.
The clarification came months after the original exchange, but at a time when Rutte is still managing a delicate relationship with Trump. During the 2025 summit, NATO leaders were trying to secure higher defense spending commitments and avoid a public clash with the President, who had long accused European allies of relying too heavily on U.S. military power.
President Trump reacted to NATO chief Mark Rutte calling him daddy: “He did it very affectionately… ‘Daddy, you’re my daddy.’”
Rubio was seen cracking up in the background.
Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/mAS35fn3rq
— AF Post (@AFpost) June 25, 2025
Reuters reported that Rutte openly credited Trump for pushing Europe to spend more, even as the “daddy” comment drew ridicule in some circles. Rutte has not backed away from the main point behind the remark. In explaining it again, he suggested the moment reflected a real imbalance within the alliance.
Some European governments still look to Washington first when security tensions arise. That assessment aligns with Rutte’s more recent comments about Europe’s reliance on the United States. He warned this month that the relationship had become an “unhealthy co-dependence.”
For Rutte, the latest explanation seemed aimed at clarifying a line that never really went away. What began as an offhand joke at a summit turned into a lasting political catchphrase, one that Trump embraced and critics used as shorthand for NATO’s awkward balancing act with an American president who still dominates the alliance discussion.
NATO’s relationship with Trump appears worse than ever after America’s European allies refused to get directly involved with the Iran war. Prior to that, Trump’s threats to take Greenland and insults to NATO troops who sacrificed their lives in Afghanistan already fractured the relationship.
