PoliticsDonald Trump Blushes After NATO Chief's 'Daddy' Comment Sparks Hilarious Press Conference Moment
Donald Trump was left red-faced after a reporter asked about NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte calling him 'daddy.'
June 26 2025, Published 9:00 a.m. ET
President Donald Trump turned red in the face after a reporter quizzed him about NATO's Secretary General, Mark Rutte, who affectionately referred to the U.S. President as "daddy." The awkward moment unfolded as Trump addressed reporters ahead of his departure from the Netherlands back to Washington, D.C.
During the briefing, a journalist brought up Rutte’s unexpected nickname for Trump: "Mark Rutte, the NATO chief, who is your friend, he called you 'daddy' earlier," she said. "Do you regard your NATO allies as kind of children?"
The question threw Trump off his game, and even Secretary of State Marco Rubio couldn’t help but double over in laughter.
Trump chuckled, "No, 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?"
A reporter questioned whether Donald Trump viewed NATO allies as children after Mark Rutte’s ‘daddy’ comment.
As Trump continued, he explained that Rutte used the term "very affectionately," asserting, "You're my daddy." However, the journalist wasn’t finished pressing for a deeper explanation.
"But do you regard your NATO allies as sort of like children, and they are obviously listening to you, and their spending more, and you're obviously really appreciative of that?" she probed further. "But do you hope that they are actually able to defend themselves and defend Europe on their own?"
Donald Trump insisted the nickname was meant ‘very affectionately.'
"I think they need a little help at the beginning," Trump replied, optimistic about NATO's future. "And I think they will be able to, and I think they are gonna remember this day and this is a big day for NATO."
"This was a very big day," he continued. "One of the gentlemen said, 'You know what, we've been trying to raise the rate for 30 years,' and he's been there a long time, and he said, 'until you came along and it happened. What you did was amazing.' It's been sort of an amazing day for a lot of reasons."
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Secretary of State Marco Rubio couldn’t contain his laughter during the press room exchange.
Despite Trump’s reassurances, the journalist persisted with her line of questioning. "Can they do it without you, in the future?" she inquired.
Trump playfully deflected, advising her to "ask Mark."
This wasn't the reporter's first dig at Rutte's "daddy" comment. Earlier in the day, she criticized the NATO chief for sounding "weak" with his flattery toward Trump.
Mark Rutte defended the term, saying, ‘Daddy has to sometimes use strong language.'
"The language that you have used when talking to Donald Trump has been notable because of its flattery," the reporter noted. "Today, you called him 'daddy,' and you sent a text message to him that was gutting with praise."
"Is this the way you feel that you have to act when doing business with the U.S. president — through flattery and praise? Isn't it a bit demeaning? And doesn't it make you look weak?" she challenged.
Rutte stood his ground, asserting, "Daddy has to sometimes use strong language."
He added, "I think he is a good friend, and when he is doing stuff that forces us to — for example, when it comes to making more investments — I mean, would you ever think that this would be the result of this summit, if he would not have been reelected president? Do you really think that seven or eight countries would suggest somewhere in the 2030s, we might meet 2 percent? We've now all decided in the last four or five months to get to 2 percent. Doesn't he deserve some grace?"
