"Trump Loves Being NATO's 'Daddy' According to Rutte's Daring Compare"
Trump portrayed as "Paternal Figure" at White House in NATO context
By Jamie Stewart
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In the latest news from the NATO summit in The Hague, a surprising remark was made by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, comparing US President Donald Trump to a "daddy" figure for NATO. And it seems that Trump quite enjoys the role.
Early Thursday morning, the White House released a video on its official website and social media with the title "DADDY'S HOME" in large capital letters, set to the song "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" by Usher. The clip features Trump, Rutte, Hegseth, Rubio, Merz, and Zelensky talking at the summit, playing up Trump's "daddy" persona.
Taking this analogy a step further, one might say that other NATO heads of state and government are Trump's "welcoming ladies" - much like Usher croons about "all my ladies" in the song. The video ends with the lyrics, "I know you’ve been waiting for this love all day."
"Trump: 'I'm certainly not afraid to use rough language'"
During his speech, Trump compared Israel and Iran to fighting children, just as he has done regarding Ukraine and Russia in the past. He suggested letting them fight for a few minutes, and then they would stop easily. Rutte joked that sometimes even "Daddy" has to resort to using very strong language to make them stop.
In another press conference, a journalist questioned whether Trump saw the NATO allies as children. Trump initially commented on Rutte, stating, "I think he likes me. If not, I'll let you know." Laughing, Rutte replied, "Daddy, you're my Daddy," to which Trump did not seem to object.
When asked if he had gone too far with the flattery towards Trump, Rutte responded, "I don't think so. But it's a matter of taste." He emphasized that Trump had finally managed to convince Europe to increase defense spending, positioning him as a friend and an instrumental figure in NATO.
Politics: The NATO Summit: A Dance with Daddy Trump
In an interview with Reuters, Rutte clarified that he meant "daddy" symbolically, representing the USA rather than Trump personally. When European countries question whether the USA will support them, he always responds, "It sounds a bit like a child asking their dad: Will you stay in the family?"
However, some European representatives found Rutte's behavior extremely inappropriate, with one European government official commenting, "People are just so embarrassed. Yes, the summit was successful overall. But the fawning was a bit too much."
Several European countries are reportedly frustrated with Trump's transactional diplomacy and nationalistic rhetoric. While NATO allies agreed upon ambitious defense spending targets and a firm commitment to collective defense under Article 5, some feel that the attention given to Trump throughout the summit has overshadowed the deeper issues at hand.
- The European Union, as a part of NATO, found itself in a peculiar situation, watching the US President's "Daddy" persona unfold during the NATO summit, which has traditionally been a platform for discussing war-and-conflicts and politics, making it a subject of general-news and international scrutiny.
- As the NATO summit progressed, the tension between politics and personal dynamics became increasingly palpable, with some European leaders finding Mark Rutte's flattering comparison and playful banter with Donald Trump disconcerting, raising questions about the balance of power and the future of transatlantic relations within NATO.
