Rutte’s Trump Nickname Sparks Curiosity: Who’s the Daddy?

Though he is already a dominant figure on the global stage, US President Donald Trump received a playful nickname from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday—“Daddy.”

The two leaders exchanged light-hearted banter prior to the NATO summit, where Trump compared the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel to kids squabbling on a playground.

“They’re having a major argument, just like two kids in a schoolyard,” Trump remarked.

“They fight fiercely. You can’t stop them. Let them go at it for a couple of minutes, then it’s easier to intervene,” he added.

Rutte joked back, “And then Dad sometimes has to use strong language,” referencing Trump’s frustrated remarks before the summit regarding the precarious ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

In a candid moment at the White House, Trump expressed his anger over the ongoing hostilities, stating that the two nations have been “fighting for so long that they don’t realize the chaos they’re causing, do you get that?”

Trump laughed at Rutte’s comment, admitting, “Everyone said, ‘Well, you have to use a certain word.’”

Though known for his fiery comments, Trump rarely resorts to profanity in public, making his outburst all the more unexpected.

Rutte made every effort to keep Trump engaged during what could have been a challenging summit, especially with Trump’s reluctance to invest heavily in defending NATO allies in Europe.

From organizing a brief summit agenda to planning an overnight stay at the royal palace, Rutte lived up to his nickname—“The Trump Whisperer.”

When asked by reporters if his friendly remarks towards Trump were inappropriate for a NATO Secretary General, Rutte confidently responded, “No, I don’t believe so.”

“It’s really about taste,” he added, calling Trump a “good friend” who “merits recognition” for his decisive interventions against Iran and for urging NATO allies to increase their defense budgets.

Iran Criticizes NATO Chief’s Remarks on US Strikes

Iran condemned NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s enthusiastic acknowledgment of President Trump’s military operations targeting key nuclear facilities as “disgraceful, shameful, and reckless.”

In a pre-summit note to Trump, Rutte praised what he called Trump’s “decisive actions” regarding Iran, following unprecedented attacks by the US on its nuclear installations.

Rutte emphasized, “This action was remarkable and something that others shied away from. It enhances our security.”

Responding to Rutte’s remarks, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei stated, “It is disgraceful, shameful, and irresponsible for NATO’s Secretary General to commend a ‘truly extraordinary’ act of aggression against a sovereign nation.”

Baqaei further noted, “Anyone who supports this crime is considered complicit,” through a post on X.