At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, NATO Secretary-General and former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte publicly defended aspects of U.S. President Donald Trump as other European leaders have condemned him for his aggressive approach towards Greenland.
In a panel titled "Can Europe Defend Itself?," with other European leaders, Rutte said "I'm not popular with you now because I'm defending Donald Trump, but I really believe you can be happy that he is there because he has forced us in Europe to step up, to face the consequences that we have to take care of more of our own defense."
Rutte's supportive tone toward Trump came amid a tense moment for the alliance. Trump's remarks at Davos, which included a renewed campaign to acquire Greenland and threats of economic penalties against countries that resist, have amplified strains between the United States and several European NATO partners.
While he was willing to defend the U.S. president, Rutte did not comment directly on Trump's proposals for the Arctic island. But he reiterated that the transatlantic alliance must focus on broader strategic priorities, including Ukraine's security and the Arctic region's defense against external powers like Russia and China.
"Thoughtful diplomacy is the only way to deal with that," Rutte said about the tensions over Greenland and Trump's comments, urging that alliance discussions take place behind the scenes rather than in public confrontation. European leaders, including France's Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, have publicly rebuked Trump's coercive approach, warning that internal discord benefits rival powers like Russia and China.
Rutte leveled similar praise towards Trump before. Ahead of the 2025 NATO summit, the former Dutch prime minister stated, "Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win," directly praising Trump for energizing European spending increases. He has also referred to Trump as "daddy" regarding the United States' leadership in NATO. When asked about an expletive Trump used regarding the tensions between Israel and Iran in June, Rutte told reporters that "Daddy has to sometimes use strong language."
Trump seems to have taken the "daddy" title to heart as during his Davos speech on Wednesday he said, "I'm helping NATO. And until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland, they loved me. They called me 'Daddy' last time." He also said that the person who called him that was a "very smart man," likely referring to Rutte.
