【By Observer Net Columnist Zhou Deyu】

The recent NATO summit in The Hague has turned into a large-scale "recognizing father" scene, starting with a sycophantic remark by NATO Secretary General Rutte towards Trump.

It started when Trump compared the recent Iran-Israel conflict to children fighting during his meeting with Rutte. This was nothing unusual, as Trump's understanding of world affairs is like that. However, Rutte may have been overly eager to flatter, and he quickly added, "A daddy has to sometimes use strong language," not only agreeing with Trump's analogy but also referring to him as a "Daddy." As soon as this statement was made, there was some fun, and the world's journalists immediately spread the news about Rutte recognizing Trump as his father.

Although objectively speaking, Rutte did not directly recognize Trump as his own father, merely stating that Trump was someone else's father, Trump himself certainly didn't see it that way.

When asked by reporters if he considered NATO as a child, Trump replied: "No, Rutte likes me. I think he likes me. If he doesn't, I'll let you know. I'll come back and hit him hard, OK? He did it very affectionately, 'Daddy, you're my Daddy.'"

Soon after, the White House released a video titled "DADDY'S HOME" to summarize Trump's NATO trip.

Now, for Trump, Rutte couldn't help but recognize him as a father.

Of course, I suspect Rutte was actually willing to recognize this father. After all, he used the extremely nauseating word "Daddy" in the conversation, rather than more neutral terms like "Father" or "Dad." Being able to say this word without any shame, he truly deserves the title of "Lü."

Just like that famous Lü person in Chinese history, on the surface Rutte recognized Trump as his father, but he obviously had his own agenda. We mock him for recognizing Trump as his father, but maybe he himself thinks he is just treating Trump like a child.

Since Trump took office, many politicians around the world, in their panic, have recently thought they found a good way to deal with Trump, which is "to pacify." As long as they meet Trump's emotional needs and drag things out, Trump will eventually "TACO"—which is now a popular term in the West, meaning "Trump Always Chickens Out."

Therefore, the establishment figures in Europe who want the U.S. to return to its original path have been doing the same thing lately: on the surface, they obey Trump and flatter him, but behind the scenes, they do what they want, expecting Trump to realize his mistakes eventually. By dragging out Trump's term, everything can go back to normal again. Moreover, there is always China as a scapegoat; no matter what Trump says, Europeans shift the topic to joint efforts against China, which is not the first time.

From the recent NATO summit in The Hague, it is clear that Trump at least has been pacified. Not only was he recognized as a father, but the demands he made to NATO countries, such as increasing military spending to 5% of GDP, were also accepted. In return for being pacified, Trump gave face, did not mention previous criticisms of Europe or the abandonment of NATO, and reaffirmed his commitment to NATO, maintaining the facade of the U.S.-Europe alliance.

So far, it seems that Rutte's little plan has succeeded.

But when you think carefully, you realize that comparing Rutte's actions to history, there is a suitable term: "appeasement." The way they think they can control Trump is not essentially different from how Britain and France once thought they could control Hitler. If there is a difference, it's that Britain and France had more cards in their hands than these Europeans today.

We can recall that several months ago, when Trump had a falling out with Zelenskyy in the White House, how did the Europeans initially act? They loudly welcomed Zelenskyy, criticized Trump, raised the banner of a so-called "will alliance," and shouted the slogan of "European rearmament," pretending to be ready to take on European security independently...

After a lot of performance, they produced nothing substantial. Finally, we saw Zelenskyy wearing the suit he previously refused to wear in the White House to apologize to Trump, while Rutte called Trump "Daddy" in front of the entire world.

To believe that Europeans would do real work and stand up is no better than buying health supplements.

In short, whether Europeans showed strength before or now showed flattery, it's all for one purpose: to bring America back and return to the old transatlantic alliance. Whether in material or ideological terms, Europeans lack the ability and willingness to confront America.

In terms of material, Europe's dependence on the United States in military and economic aspects has not only not weakened in recent years but has become even more severe after the pandemic and the Ukraine conflict. Fundamentally, the European economy lost its vitality and innovation long ago, and now most European countries are facing fiscal tightness and industrial decline. What economic basis do they have to support their independence in security?

In terms of ideology, whether due to historical and cultural heritage, ideological propaganda, or practical interests, European elites have been naturally inclined towards the United States for many years, willing to be cultivated and utilized by the United States. Their minds cannot turn around. Even if Europeans shout slogans for independence, it's just to stimulate the United States and hope that the Americans will take care of them as fathers.

Therefore, after World War II, the Europeans only saw two eras: an era of temporary stability where they recognized their father and an era where they could not recognize their father. They cannot live without their father, so they try to manipulate Trump both gently and firmly to keep the American father.

However, the problem is that the father Trump wants to be and the father the Europeans want are not the same.

The Europeans want the kind of father like before, the patriarchal father, wanting peace under American hegemony, and wanting the United States to take responsibility for the alliance. But the father Trump wants to be is simply the one who gives orders and gets whatever he wants from Europe, regardless of responsibility or alliance.

Therefore, even though Trump visited The Hague and gave NATO a show, temporarily solving the crisis of NATO's survival, the actual benefits he is willing to give are minimal. Compared to the NATO Washington Summit last year under Biden, the results of this year's The Hague Summit are almost negligible. Regarding the issues most focused on by NATO last year, such as Ukraine and the Asia-Pacific, they seem marginalized this year. With internal problems within the alliance unresolved, they have no time to care about external matters.

Looking back, Trump still has accounts to settle with European countries regarding trade deficits. This issue is not over yet. No matter how much the Europeans try to shift Trump's attention with the topic of joint efforts against China, Trump will not forget to squeeze this soft target. One thing at a time, if the U.S. can't beat China in trade, can it not beat Europe? Those Europeans who think they have controlled Trump should seriously think about why Trump has already reached a trade compromise with China, and now their so-called allies are still being chased for payment.

Therefore, Trump only sees the The Hague Summit as a place to play the role of a father and win. His disdain for the NATO alliance relationship is deeply rooted. Previously, when Trump opposed NATO, he felt that other countries paid too little, and required NATO members to increase military spending to 2% of GDP. But in recent years, NATO countries have actually reached 2%, and Trump then proposed a new requirement of 5%. Therefore, the debate over 5% military spending has never been a technical issue, but a philosophical one. If European countries pay less, Trump feels that the U.S. is losing out and unwilling to bear the responsibility of NATO. Once European countries pay more, Trump naturally wants to withdraw from NATO and let the Europeans take care of themselves.

In the end, Trump does not care about America's "hegemony," but only about "paternal power." His logic is simple: if he can't freely extract benefits or get a pension from his European sons, what use are they? What is the significance of having this hegemony?

Don't think Trump's ideas are absurd, nor talk about grand strategies of the Atlantic alliance. Because not only does Trump not recognize it, but those around him and the people he represents also don't.

Yes, many of Trump's ideas and actions are absurd. Thinking that there is a grand plan behind this absurdity is conspiracy theory. Trump never thought that much. But thinking that Trump is completely like the establishment, a madman, and has no influence or logic, is clearly ignoring the micro and macro background.

Just like anyone else, Trump's decisions are influenced by his own beliefs, his close confidants, and the goals he hopes to achieve. Many people fail to understand Trump and the current era because they only speculate based on their own self-proclaimed "rational, objective, and neutral" thinking process, instead of starting from American politics and Trump himself.

If during Trump's first term, it was understandable to view his absurdities as occasional anomalies and believe that a slight maneuver could bring the situation back to the "right track," then it is naive to still use the old views to look at Trump and the U.S. in his second term—especially after the so-called "right track" under Biden and his comeback.

Video screenshot of Trump answering reporters' questions, with Secretary of State Rubio and Defense Secretary Hegseth unable to suppress their laughter.

Although Trump's second term has been full of controversy and constant setbacks, it does not mean that Americans welcome the old ways of the establishment. Especially in international issues, from the American public to the American elite, reflecting on NATO and the old alliance system is no longer a minority. Over the years, what have ordinary Americans gained for Ukraine and for the Russian threat they can't even perceive? Anyway, not the livelihood of the country. This question is one of the reasons why Trump was able to return to power, and it is also a problem that a considerable number of American politicians are beginning to pay attention to and utilize.

If you think Trump is not serious, then think about what it is that allows Trump to sit in the White House in such a casual manner. Even if Trump leaves, and a president who looks more serious takes his place, wouldn't he and his surroundings have to consider the factors that brought Trump to power? Why did Vance become a loyal follower of Trump? Why did Rubio abandon his previous establishment stance? Is it because Trump mesmerized them, or do they know that the things Trump represents have a larger market in the U.S.?

Pretending to use a serious mindset to justify Trump's casual behavior, or simply ignoring Trump's casualness and focusing only on the serious parts, is actually an unscientific and careless approach that violates the principle of seeking truth from facts.

Of course, Trump's absurdity is ultimately constrained by both personal capabilities and macroeconomic factors. He can cause a lot of chaos, but rarely accomplishes anything. He wants a lot, but achieves little, which is why the term "TACO," which makes Trump furious, continues to be popular.

Therefore, the future of U.S.-European relations may ultimately be like the The Hague Summit. Europe lacks the ability to escape American extortion, but the U.S. also lacks the ability to collect immediately. What can be done? Then Europe can only recognize the U.S. as a father first, allowing the U.S. to win a bit and experience the feeling of "paternal power."

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