Politico: Sycophancy to Trump "went beyond reasonable limits"

Some of the European officials were outraged because of the "subservience" to the American President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in the Netherlands, writes Politico, citing sources.

"Yes, the summit as a whole was successful. But this sycophancy went beyond all reasonable limits," said one of them, noting that it all led to "awkwardness."

As an illustration, the publication cites the statement of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte — he called Trump "daddy," but then began to reject it.

Rutte called Trump Daddy when he was asked to comment on the statement of the American leader about the breakdown of the cease-fire between Israel and Iran. Trump compared Israel and Iran to "two kids in a schoolyard" and said that these countries "have been fighting for so long and so hard that they don't understand what the hell they are doing."

"Daddy sometimes has to use strong language to stop it," Rutte said.

When the secretary General was asked if his words, which he assessed as "flattery and praise," were humiliating and whether they were a manifestation of weakness, Rutte said he did not think so.

Then the secretary General completely denied that he called Trump daddy. He linked his words to the fact that NATO member countries are asking if the United States will remain in the alliance, and it's "a bit like a little kid asking his dad, 'Hey, are you still staying with your family?'"

"So in that sense, I use the word 'daddy,' not that I call President Trump daddy," Rutte said.

Trump, commenting on the Secretary General's phrase, joked that he liked Rutte, and if he didn't, he would come back and "spank" him.