NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte referred to President Donald Trump as “daddy” during a press conference Wednesday in The Hague, after continuing an analogy by Trump.
“Then daddy has to sometimes use strong language,” Rutte said, interrupting Trump’s comments comparing Israel and Iran to “two kids in a school yard” who “fight like hell” before calming down.
The awkward exchange came after Trump’s remarks made Tuesday outside the White House, when he said the two countries “have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f*ck they're doing.”
Rutte later denied that he called Trump "daddy" in that context, but said that it was similar to a child asking if "daddy" would "stay with the family."
A reporter, referencing Rutte’s “daddy” comment, asked Trump about it, to which he said, “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. Okay?” Trump replied, laughing. “He did. He did it. Very affectionate. ‘Daddy, you’re my daddy.’”
When asked if he believed European allies could defend themselves without US involvement, Trump responded, “I think they'll need help a little bit at the beginning, and I think they'll be able to. I think they're going to remember this day and this is a big day for NATO.”
He added, “It’s been sort of an amazing day for a lot of reasons, but also for that,” referring to the alliance’s new pledge to raise defense spending. NATO members agreed to commit 5 percent of GDP toward defense by 2035—a significant jump from the current 2 percent benchmark. All members agreed to the increase, except for Spain.
Trump said the shift was “not possible until I came along.”
