NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised President Donald Trump for making Europe “pay in a BIG way,” as allied leaders gathered in the Netherlands on Tuesday for a historic summit that could unite them around a new defense spending pledge or widen divisions among the 32 member countries.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte cannot stop heaping praise on President Donald Trump’s foreign policy. The two appeared at a press event on Tuesday for the NATO summit currently underway at the Hague in the Netherlands.

Trump posted screenshots of the text message to his Truth Social website as he headed to the NATO summit at the Hague. A NATO spokesperson confirmed the text was legitimate.

Rutte bizarrely called Trump “daddy” while applauding the president for cursing out Israel and Iran in an on-air press gaggle on Tuesday.

Donald Trump was praised as a peacemaker at the 2025 NATO summit, with Secretary General Mark Rutte calling him a 'good friend' and likening him to a 'daddy' scolding his children

A message from NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to President Donald Trump heaps praise on him as he heads to a two-day NATO summit

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte referred to President Trump as "daddy" during a NATO event Wednesday, and then defended those words during a press conference later. "Daddy has to sometimes use ...

In 2018, a NATO summit during Trump’s first term unraveled due to a dispute over defense spending. Ahead of the meeting, Britain, France and Germany committed to the 5% goal.

US President Donald Trump announced a major update in how the United States provides weapon support to Ukraine. NATO to Act as Middleman in Weapon Transfers This update comes in the context of Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia.