Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made headlines this week with his comments about President Donald Trump’s relationship with world leaders. McCarthy appeared on Fox News on Wednesday to discuss Trump’s recent NATO summit interactions. The former Speaker praised Trump’s standing among international leaders following a notable exchange at the summit.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte had referred to Trump as “Daddy” during a press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands. This comment came after Trump compared the Israel-Iran conflict to “two kids in a schoolyard” having a fight. Rutte responded by saying that “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language” to get them to stop fighting.
McCarthy told Fox News that foreign leaders have strong feelings about Trump. “When you talk to the foreign leaders, they love President Trump. They want to be around him. If you watch their faces, I mean, you didn’t play this clip, do you know what they called him? You’re our daddy,” McCarthy said during his television appearance.
Trump accepts the nickname during the NATO summit
The exchange between Trump and Rutte happened during serious talks about defense spending and alliance unity. Trump had been discussing the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran when he made his schoolyard comparison. He said the countries “fight like hell” and “you can’t stop them” before suggesting they should “fight for about two-three minutes, then it’s easy to stop them.”
McCarthy: When you talk to the foreign leaders, they love president trump. They want to be around him. If you watch their faces, I mean, you didn't play this clip, do you know what they called him? You're our daddy. pic.twitter.com/cGJFMBwAgK
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 25, 2025
Trump seemed comfortable with Rutte’s nickname during a later press conference. When asked if he views NATO allies as his children, Trump laughed and said, “No, he likes me. I think he likes me” while talking about Rutte. Trump added that if Rutte doesn’t actually like him, “I’ll let you know. I’ll come back and I’ll hit him hard, OK?”
The President explained that Rutte used the term in a friendly way. “He did it very affectionately, ‘Daddy, you’re my Daddy,'” Trump said. Rutte later tried to clarify his comment, saying he was making the reference as a joke. The moment drew laughter from others in the room during the summit.
The NATO summit focused on important issues, including defense spending commitments and collective security. Leaders endorsed a 5% GDP defense pledge during the meetings. The exchange between Trump and Rutte became one of the more talked-about moments from the summit, overshadowing some of the more serious policy discussions that took place.
