Donald Trump appears to be more than just “daddy” to Nato, he’s also earned the title from Fox News host Jesse Watters, a remark that shows no signs of fading from social media chatter anytime soon.
Fox News aired live footage the other day as the president touched down in West Palm Beach, Fla., with text on the screen reading, "DADDY'S COMING HOME."
"Daddy is about to land and he has needs," Watters stated on the programme.
This was not the first time Watters used the nickname, having done so earlier this month when discussing Europe’s pushback over Trump wanting to take over Greenland.
"Nato called Trump ‘daddy.' Why won’t they give daddy what he wants?" the Fox News star asked, to which his co-host Jessica Tarlov replied, "Sometimes daddy needs to be told no."
"By who?!" questioned Watters.
"By anyone who has the guts to do it," Tarlov explained, "and it seems like the Danish foreign minister, the Danish prime minister, the head of Greenland, that they’ve got the stuff and they’re saying Nato will disband if this happens. It will be an attack on a Nato country."
The name also reached the White House, as in December 2025, they released a holiday sketch of Trump wearing a Santa hat and giving a thumbs up in front of the historic building, with the only text reading, "DADDY'S HOME."
The White House’s official Instagram account captioned the post, "HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!"
How netizens reacted?
The comment irked social media, with some users calling this cringe and others are calling out the anchor homosexual.
A user on X said, "Men who lecture others about masculinity (and dye their eyebrows) always have daddy issues."
Another said, "Something tells me Jesse is on Grindr."
Mehdi Hasan used the emoji of vomiting. A user called the post "gross."
Why Trump's "Daddy" term was in social media?
The "daddy" term is actually trending after Trump recalled Mark Rutte's statement. While speaking at the
World Economic Forum at Davos, Trump said that Nato called him "daddy."
Earlier in June, Nato General Secretary Mark Rutte called President Donald Trump "Daddy" as he reacted to the President’s recent use of expletives when he accused Iran and Israel of violating a ceasefire agreement.
"You know, they fight like hell. You can't stop them. Let them fight for about two-three minutes, then it's easy to stop them," he continued.
Rutte interjected, "Daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get them to stop."
"You have to use strong language," Trump agreed. "Every so often you have to use a certain word."
Why Rutte called Trump "Daddy"?
Rutte later defended his use of the word and continued to pile praise on Trump, describing him as a "good friend." He also said his language is a matter of taste.
On Trump's decision to strike Iran and the ceasefire, Rutte said "I think he deserves all the praise."
Rutte later told Reuters that he did not call Trump "daddy," but rather was using the term more metaphorically to describe the relationship between the US and other nations.
"The 'daddy' thing -- I didn't call him 'daddy.' … In Europe, I hear sometimes countries saying, 'Hey, Mark, will the U.S. 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?'" Rutte told Reuters. "So in that sense, I used 'daddy', not that I was calling President Trump 'daddy.'"
Yet the White House continued to embrace the "daddy" title, posting on X a video compilation of Trump's Nato trip set to the tune of Usher's "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" with the accompanying text: "Daddy's home… Hey, hey, hey, Daddy."