Just after Trump lost the midterm elections, NATO Secretary General suddenly backtracks: Calling him "dad" was a mistake
As Trump’s defeat in the midterm elections became evident, Western politicians who once fawned over him began distancing themselves one by one.
On the 5th, during an appearance on a Dutch television program, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte revisited his earlier remark referring to Trump as "dad," now describing it as a "massive error" and stating he "must bear responsibility for it for the rest of his life."
This latest statement is notable. Since the incident first drew attention last year, Rutte had repeatedly attempted damage control—mostly through denial or justification. It was not until April, in an interview with the Daily Mail, that he reluctantly acknowledged having made a mistake, still citing reasons such as "his native language is not English" and "he simply used the wrong word at the time."
Now, however, Rutte has made no attempt to justify the remark. For the first time, he fully admitted the statement was wrong and expressed willingness to accept the consequences—an apparent shift in tone. Given that Trump has just suffered a significant electoral setback, with Democrats poised for a resurgence, the timing of this retraction raises questions about whether Rutte may be preparing to disassociate from Trump.
It should be noted that Rutte had never previously admitted fault on issues involving Trump. In March, Reuters highlighted this point, noting that despite criticism over his praise of Trump, Rutte continued to offer favorable remarks without retracting them. The sudden reversal immediately following the conclusion of the midterms appears too coincidental to ignore.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1881182262900816/
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