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Bromance or diplomatic gambit: Mark Rutte clarifies his 'daddy' remarks as he charms Trump at Nato Summit
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte clarified his 'daddy' remark to US President Donald Trump as he charmed the POTUS for the benefit of the group read more
The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Mark Rutte , clarified his 'daddy' remark for US President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, Rutte said that he doesn't consider the American president as 'daddy,' he was just using it as a metaphor for the dynamics between the international organisation.
'The daddy thing, I didn't call him 'daddy,'' Rutte told reporters later in the day. 'What I said is that sometimes, in Europe, I hear countries sometimes saying, 'Hey, Mark, will the U.S. stay with us?' And I said that sounds a little bit like a small child asking his daddy, 'Hey, are you still staying with the family?' So in that sense, I used 'daddy' — not that I was calling President Trump daddy," he furthered.
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Rutte drew media attention and even jokes from Trump after he called the POTUS 'daddy' while describing the president's response to the Israel and Iran's military conflict. 'Sometimes, daddy needs to use strong language,' Rutte said, referring to how Trump threw out the 'f-word' while talking about the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict.
In a separate press conference, Trump laughed off the remark, leaving those in the room laughing. 'He did it very affectionately though, 'Daddy, you're my daddy,'' Trump said, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio chuckled behind him.
Bromance or diplomatic genius?
It is pertinent to note that the former Dutch prime minister is no stranger to dealings with Trump, with him deploying his charm in several visits to Washington, DC, during Trump's first term in office. However, many believe that Rutte's tactics came from the same playbook used by French President Emmanuel Macron .
Even Finnish President Alex Stubb bonded with him over rounds of golf, and Italian far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has won a reputation as something of a Trump whisperer: She's a 'fantastic woman,' Trump said after meeting her. More or less, Rutte's charm seems to be working on Trump.
'I think he likes me. If he doesn't, I'll let you know. I'll come back and I'll hit him hard,' Trump announced in his Wednesday news conference. The Dutchman went out and about hailing rump's strikes on Iran – a conflict technically outside the NATO wheelhouse – as the president railed against suggestions in a leaked government assessment that undercut his claim the strikes 'obliterated' parts of Iran's nuclear program.
'The secretary general knows that personal relationships go a long way with this administration,' Torrey Taussig, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former NATO policy adviser at the Pentagon, told CNN after the meeting. 'I do think this is a kind of hold-your-nose moment. Ensure there are no fireworks in The Hague. Get a good photo op and go home,' she added. However, only time will tell whether Rutte's gambit worked or not.
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