'Daddy diplomacy' at NATO: Trump's and Rutte's social media bonding

Published on 25/06/2025 - 16:27 GMT+2

Mark Rutte recovered himself successful the spotlight arsenic the two-day acme successful the Hague drew to a adjacent arsenic a bid of exchanges of diplomatic niceties betwixt the NATO caput general and Donald Trump went viral. 

During a associated property quality successful Washington connected Wednesday, Dutchman Rutte reacted to a bombastic connection connected Iran and Israel from the US president, referring to his relation arsenic that of a "daddy' to Israel and Iran successful the quality during a property conference. 

"They fought similar hell, and past they said let's stop," Trump said of Israel and Iran. "They're not gonna beryllium warring each other. They've had it. Like 2 kids successful a schoolyard - you cognize they combat similar hell, and you can't halt them. Let them combat for astir 2 3 minutes and past it's easier to halt them," said the US president.

"Then daddy has to sometimes usage beardown connection to get them to stop,” Rutte quipped, referencing Trump's use of an expletive connected Tuesday, erstwhile helium told reporters: "We fundamentally person 2 countries that person been warring truthful agelong and truthful hard that they don't cognize what the f**k they're doing. Do you recognize that?"  

Rutte's eyebrow-raising remark came conscionable a time aft Trump published backstage substance messages from Rutte connected his Truth Social platform. In the messages, the NATO main congratulated Trump for his “decisive enactment successful Iran”, calling it “truly extraordinary” and thanking him for doing “what nary 1 other dared to do”. 

“Mr President, beloved Donald,” the connection began earlier helium praised Trump’s longstanding unit run connected European allies to boost defence spending, saying the continent would present summation its subject budgets “in a BIG way”. 

Rutte has since defended the texts, saying they were “appropriate” fixed the circumstances, and downplayed concerns astir their tone. Head of the European Union diplomacy, Kaja Kallas defended Rutte connected Euronews' Europe Today NATO acme peculiar connected Wednesday, erstwhile she said: "Mark Rutte is speaking Trump. He is speaking the connection that President Trump understands.” 

Asked during NATO's closing property league if his flattery of Trump isn't demeaning, Rutte replied: "No, I don’t deliberation so, I deliberation it’s a spot of a question of taste. He is simply a bully friend."

"Doesn’t helium merit immoderate praise?" [for the 5% of spending] - I deliberation helium deserves each the praise," helium added, referring to the people of GDP spending connected defence for NATO members.