White House posts bizarre 'Daddy Donald' video as Trump leans into NATO nickname

The White House has posted a bizarre "Daddy Donald" video as US President Trump leans into the head of NATO's cringeworthy nickname for him.

"Daddy's home...hey, hey, hey, Daddy," The White House posted on its official X page, along with the lyrics to Usher's 2010 song Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home). The post included a clip of Trump meeting officials at the NATO summit in the Netherlands earlier this week.

It was clear from the moment Trump entered the summit that a charm offensive operation had been strategically planned and carried out. NATO chief Mark Rutte showered Mr Trump with praise, adding member states raising their defence spending "wouldn't have happened" without the Republican leader.

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When Mr Trump compared Israel and Iran to two children fighting Mr Rutte responded: "Then daddy has to sometimes use strong language." The submissive language from Mr Rutte raised eyebrows online, with many also claiming NATO must be in serious trouble if it needed to court Mr Trump with such brazen comments.

Mr Trump's administration has hammered NATO allies for its low spending on defence when compared to GDP. He has also presented an inconsistent message about whether the US would stand by Article 5's cast-iron vow to defend member states should they be attacked by an external enemy.

But the White House's post did not attract the blanket praise that its social media team might have hoped for. Instead of viewing the clip as a projection of strength, many found it strange.

One commenter said: "OK, that's weird." Another added: "Who dies this appeal to?"

A third commented: "We are not a serious people." But there were some who praised it and leaned into the post, with one posting: "They said 'no kings' not 'no daddy."

A fifth commenter shared: "Whoever made this video should get a raise." Another said: "Absolutely epic. Whoever runs this page deserves a raise."

Since being shared, the post has been viewed more than 2.7 million times and has received some 48,000 likes.

Mr Rutte later denied he had called the president "daddy." He explained: "The daddy thing, I didn't call [Trump] daddy, what I said, is that sometimes... In Europe, I hear sometimes countries saying, 'hey, Mark, will the US stay with us?'

"And I said, "that sounds a little bit like a small child asking his daddy, 'hey, are you still staying with the family?' So in that sense, I use daddy, not that I was calling President Trump daddy."