WH hailed for leveraging Donald Trump’s NATO nickname with Usher’s ‘Daddy’s Home’: ‘Next level trolling’

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump has never been shy when it comes to nicknames.

The president has handed out monikers like candy over the years — for himself (“Honest Don,” “A Very Stable Genius,” and of course, “The King”) and for his favorite targets (“Crooked Hillary,” “Sleepy Joe,” and “Gavin Newscum”), Time magazine noted.

But now Trump seems more than happy to accept one for himself: Daddy.

White House plays on 'Daddy Trump' meme

The White House dropped a 66-second video on its social accounts Wednesday night, June 25. The clip was essentially a highlight reel of Trump attending the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, all set to the smooth sounds of Usher’s 2010 R&B hit 'Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home)'.

In the footage, Trump is seen doing the rounds — chatting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, fielding questions while flanked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and shaking hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The video was backed by Usher crooning “Hey, hey, hey, Daddy" and captioned, “Daddy's home... Hey, hey, hey, Daddy. President Donald J Trump attended the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands.”

How did Donald Trump's 'daddy' theme come about?

It all started when NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, sitting next to Trump, appeared to reference the nickname after the POTUS went on an expletive-laced tirade about the chaos in the Middle East.

“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f**k they’re doing,” Trump said on Tuesday, June 24, just before flying out to The Hague.

Referencing that outburst at the summit, Rutte chimed in with a joke. “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language," he quipped.

That comment didn’t go unnoticed, and the Trump team ran with it.

Rutte had earlier praised Trump’s weekend military action, which included authorizing strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran before brokering a peace deal between them and Israel.

When reporters asked Trump about Rutte’s unexpected use of the word “daddy,” the POTUS was visibly amused.

“He likes me. If he doesn’t, I’ll let you know, I’ll come back, and I’ll hit him hard," he quipped. “He did it very affectionately, ‘Daddy, you’re my daddy,’” Trump mimicked with a grin.

Rutte later tried to walk it back, saying he didn’t actually mean to call Trump “daddy” — just that the US acts like a kind of father figure to Europe.

“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?’” he explained.

Not the first time Donald Trump has been called America's 'daddy'

The whole “daddy” analogy isn’t new for Trump.

In 2023, golfer John Daly told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that he and other golfers “want Daddy Trump back.”

Trump didn’t let that shout-out go unnoticed — he posted about it on Truth Social and even brought it up again months later. Daly says the nickname’s been around since they met in 1992.

Carlson also jumped on the daddy bandwagon during an October 2024 rally. Comparing parts of the American public to a “hormone-addled 15-year-old daughter” who’s been allowed to “slam the door and give you the finger," he said, “There has to be a point at which Dad comes home.”

Carlson went a step further, “And when Dad gets home, you know what he says? ‘You’ve been a bad girl. You’ve been a bad little girl, and you’re getting a vigorous spanking right now.’”

Donald Trump's media team lauded for its creativity

Many on social media lauded the Trump White House's attempt at humor.

"47’s media team is absolutely legendary," one posted on X.

"An absolute triumph by the WH social media team. Hilarious! Bravo!" another wrote.

"I CANNOT STOP LAUGHING. Liberals can’t stand this," someone else added.

"This is easily the best thing on the internet," a comment read.

"Next level trolling," another offered.

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