- Marco Rubio couldn't contain his laughter after a reporter asked Trump the "Daddy" question
- Trump jokingly said, "No, he (NATO chief) likes me. If he doesn't, I'll let you know"
- His reply made Rubio break into laughter
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio couldn't contain his laughter during a press conference on Thursday after a reporter asked President Donald Trump about his reaction to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte referring to him as "Daddy."
A Sky News journalist asked Trump, "Mark Rutte, the NATO chief, who is your friend, he called you 'Daddy' earlier. Do you regard your NATO allies as kind of children?" In response, Rubio, who was standing mere feet from Trump, initially smiled.
Trump jokingly said, "No, he likes me. I think he likes me. If he doesn't, I'll let you know. I'll come back, and I'll hit him hard. Okay?" His reply made Rubio break into laughter.
Watch Marco Rubio absolutely lose his composure in the background as Trump is asked about NATO Secretary General calling him "daddy." ???? pic.twitter.com/eFisAyjsYc
— JOSH DUNLAP (@JDunlap1974) June 26, 2025
The question came after Mark Rutte's controversial remark against Trump earlier this week, when he said, "Sometimes Daddy has to use strong language," referring to Trump's strict approach in brokering an Iran-Israel ceasefire.
Trump replied, "He [Rutte] did. He did it. Very affectionate. Daddy, you're my daddy." Rubio continued to laugh. The reporter then asked, "Do you regard your NATO allies, though, as kind of like children?"
During the NATO summit, member nations committed to allocating 5 per cent of their GDP to defence by the next decade. Trump was asked by a reporter if he believes they can defend Europe alone, to which the US President replied that they might need help at first, but will manage.
Trump referred to it as a historic day for NATO and claimed that he was the reason such a significant step was taken.
After the summit, Mark Rutte clarified that he didn't mean to call Trump "Daddy." He mentioned that the comment was not directed personally at Trump, but he was describing how some European nations look up to the US in NATO, almost like children looking to a parent for support.
He explained, "In that sense, I used the word 'Daddy.' I was not calling President Trump that," as per Fox News.
The 2025 NATO Summit was held in The Hague on June 24 and 25.
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