(MENAFN) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte quickly came to US President Donald Trump’s defense after the president’s recent expletive-filled criticism of Iran and Israel, describing it as “daddy” using “strong language.”

Trump criticized both countries on Tuesday for breaking a Washington-brokered ceasefire, saying that West Jerusalem and Tehran “have been fighting so long and so hard they don’t know what the f**k they are doing.” The outburst followed his announcement of a truce, which was soon violated by both sides.

During a joint press conference the next day, Trump compared the two nations to “kids fighting in a schoolyard,” with Rutte adding, “And then daddy has to, sometimes, use strong language.” Later, when asked about the comment, Trump laughed and said, “Daddy—you’re my daddy,” explaining that Rutte’s remark was meant “affectionately.” He joked, “I think he likes me; if not, I’ll come back and hit him hard.”

Rutte’s praise extended beyond the conference. Before the summit, Trump shared private text messages from Rutte praising his “decisive action in Iran” as “truly extraordinary” and saying it “makes us all safer.” Rutte added that Trump would accomplish something no recent American president had, and boasted that “Europe is going to pay BIG.” NATO confirmed the messages were genuine.

At the summit, Rutte supported Trump’s controversial demand for NATO members to more than double their defense spending to 5% of GDP. He called Trump “a good friend” who “deserves all the praise” for pushing the issue. When asked if such open admiration made him seem weak, Rutte dismissed the concern as “a matter of taste.”

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