Some European officials annoyed by NATO Chief Rutte’s “slavish” attitude toward Trump – Politico

Some European officials have expressed discomfort over what they described as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s “slavish" attitude toward U.S. President Donald Trump.

“People are embarrassed,” said one European official. The Hague summit itself was considered successful, the source remarked that “the sucking up was pretty over the top,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Politico.

Earlier, Rutte referred to Trump as “daddy,” echoing the U.S. president’s own metaphor comparing Iran and Israel to feuding schoolchildren. “They’ve had a big fight, like two kids in a school yard. They fight like hell, you can’t stop them. Let them fight for about two, three minutes, then it’s easier to stop them,” Trump said during a joint press appearance with Rutte.

Rutte took the fighting kids analogy a bit further: “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language.”

Asked during his own press conference whether calling Trump “daddy” signalled weakness, Rutte replied that it was “a matter of taste” and later clarified the context. He explained that NATO member states frequently ask whether the U.S. will remain committed to the alliance, which, he said, “is a bit like a child asking their father, ‘Hey, are you still staying with the family?’”

Trump didn’t seem to mind Rutte’s use of the term, which has become slang to denote power and control in relationships. “I think he likes me. ‘Daddy, you’re my daddy,’” Trump said later on June 25 with a grin, drawing laughter from the international press corps and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “He did it very affectionately.”

By Khagan Isayev