Lest recent news events make you question for a moment whether we’re really living in the darkest timeline, on Wednesday NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte referred to Donald Trump as “Daddy.”
You’re probably thinking This must be less stupid in context. But unfortunately it isn’t. Rutte was praising the U.S. president for dropping an F-bomb on live TV this week, saying of Israel and Iran, “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.”
Rutte used the term — as various MAGA sycophants have been doing for months — during a joint press conference with Trump ahead of Wednesday’s NATO summit at the Hague in response to the president comparing Israel and Iran to brawling children.
“They’ve had a big fight, like two kids in a schoolyard. You know, they fight like hell, you can’t stop them. Let them fight for about two, three minutes, then it’s easy to stop them,” Trump said.
Rutte laughed and added, “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get it stopped.”
A day earlier, Trump posted a fawning text Rutte sent him to Truth Social. When asked on Wednesday if all this gushing was making him look weak, Rutte offered some more praise for Trump, saying, “I don’t think so. I think it’s bit of a question of taste, but I think he’s a good friend.”
Rutte wasn’t alone. At the summit, various European leaders have gone out of their way to flatter the U.S. president. While Trump had a contentious relationship with NATO in his first term, Politico reported that European officials think this strategy shift is making Trump come around:
“We are taking the approach of talking to Trumpworld and MAGA,” said one European diplomat who, like others, was granted anonymity to discuss relations with the president. “It’s not just sucking up to the Americans. It’s not just that we’re doing all of this to please the Americans.”
“The vibes were good.” the diplomat added. “Even with the chaos he’s causing, we have to give him credit. This is the Trump effect.”
Of course, Trump has betrayed some world-class suck-ups in the past. And when asked about Rutte’s remark, he joked that he could easily turn on him too.
“He likes me, I think he likes me,” Trump said. “If he doesn’t, I’ll let you know and I’ll hit him hard, okay? He did, he did it very affectionately. ‘Daddy, you’re my daddy.’”
Pretty gross! And the White House found a way to make it even creepier, posting this video montage to Usher’s “Hey Daddy”:
And even “Daddy” merch.
This post has been updated throughout.
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