In a tense exchange following a confidential meeting with Donald Trump at the White House, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte faced an unexpectedly direct question from the Daily Mail.

The meeting between the two leaders came on the heels of Trump’s strong criticism of NATO allies for their perceived inaction in safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz amidst escalating tensions with Iran. Trump even hinted at the possibility of the U.S. withdrawing from the alliance.

When asked by the Daily Mail whether he believes Trump will uphold America’s commitment to NATO, Rutte was also queried about his past reference to the President as ‘Daddy’.

The term of endearment, used by Rutte during a joint public appearance the previous June, had quickly gained viral attention. However, the question seemed to catch the NATO Secretary-General off guard.

Rutte appeared noticeably flustered, struggling to articulate a response as he distanced himself from the peculiar nickname.

Despite his attempts to convey confidence about NATO’s future, his faltering explanation suggested that the leader is still grappling with the fallout from one of his more awkward public remarks.

Through laughter, the politician tried to explain what he meant by ‘Daddy’ – saying it was a ‘language problem’ on his end. 

‘It follows me a little bit, I can assure you,’ Rutte explained further, saying it weighed on him. ‘You make mistakes, and this is when you are not a native speaker – sorry for that.’

He continued: ‘In Dutch, you would say – the translation of your father is daddy – and I said, ‘sometimes Daddy has to be angry.’

He clarified: ‘So I was not calling him my Daddy… But of course, Daddy has all sorts of special connotations, and now I have to live with it for the rest of my life.’

Rutte laughed it off in the end, saying that he ‘owns it’ and that ‘the President owns it.’

Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House back in October of last year. Addressing the ‘daddy’ nickname for Trump, he told the Daily Mail today: ‘In Dutch , you would say – the translation of your father is daddy – and I said, ‘sometimes daddy has to be angry’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte whisper and laugh as they meet at the Department of State yesterday ahead of his closed-door meeting with President Trump

‘He brought out t-shirts, he made a movie, ‘Daddy is home’, when he returned to the United States. This is why I like him so much.’

Following their private sit-down at the White House on Wednesday night, the atmosphere seemed anything but settled, with Rutte saying today that he sensed the President’s disappointment that a lot of allies weren’t with him.

‘I explained to him that Mr. President, clearly, the overwhelming majority of Europeans have done what the US has asked of him. I understand his disappointments to a certain extent,’ he remarked.

While the specifics of their exchange remained behind closed doors, the President took to TruthSocial to vent, claiming the alliance hadn’t been ‘there when we needed them.’

The question clearly caught the NATO chief off guard. Rutte appeared visibly flustered and nervous, scrambling to find his words as he attempted to walk back the affectionate nickname that went viral after their joint appearance last June

Rutte, however, has been working overtime to dismiss rumors of a rift. He maintained that the two engaged in an ‘open conversation’ between friends, but could not confirm that Trump made any promises to stay in the alliance when pressed.

Rutte said on Thursday that member countries are doing everything US President Donald Trump had requested to strengthen the military alliance, ev ven if some were initially ‘a bit slow’ to provide support to the United States amid its war with Iran.

Speaking in Washington, Rutte said: ‘When it came time to provide the logistical and other support the United States needed in Iran, some allies were a bit slow, to say the least. In fairness, they were also a bit surprised.’

Asked further for a summary of his discussions with Trump, the NATO chief said: ‘As they would say in diplomatic circles these conversations were frank and open… candid.

During a high-stakes encounter today, the Daily Mail cornered NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte with a blunt query following his private meeting with Donald Trump last night: whether he truly believes Trump will maintain America’s commitment to NATO and if he still views the President as ‘Daddy’

Trump’s greatest disappointment comes after having repeatedly and unsuccessfully demanded that allies send warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz

NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Thursday that member countries are doing everything US President Donald Trump had requested to strengthen the military alliance

Trump speaks with NATO’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte next to Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos back in January of this year

Trump reportedly told Rutte that he can no longer support the statements of support from his NATO allies, instead requiring material action to be taken.

Writing on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said: ‘None of these people, including our own, very disappointing, NATO, understood anything unless they have pressure placed upon them!!!’

During his speech, Rutte heaped praise on Trump as he admitted Europe must step up its spending on the alliance.

He said: ‘We must applaud Trump for his bold leadership and vision’.

Rutte described a ‘mindset shift’ in Europe which he claimed was evidenced by the UK leading a coalition of countries to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

He also admitted it is a ‘period of profound change in the trans-atlantic alliance… from that there will be no going back and nor should there be.’

The chief promised NATO will not be ‘unhealthily reliant’ on the US, promising America will have allies that are ‘capable and ready, willing and able to defend’ NATO’s security.

‘Even with this progress, it is clear we will need more,’ he added.