NATO’s Mark Rutte emerges as Trump whisperer-in-chief after dramatic about-face at Davos
By Jessie Yeung, CNN
(CNN) — Just a few days ago, European leaders were scrambling to respond to US President Donald Trump’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric about taking control of Greenland, and bracing for an avalanche of insults as he arrived to speak on their home turf.
As expected, Trump slammed European officials on a variety of issues, as he spoke at Davos in the Swiss Alps. But he also ruled out using force to annex the Danish territory he covets, lowering the temperature on an issue that threatened the future of the NATO military alliance.
He then went one step further in a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte – announcing afterward that they’d reached an agreement on a possible deal on Greenland, and that he would no longer impose tariffs on European nations opposed to his ambitions to acquire the Arctic island.
It’s not yet clear what’s included in the framework, or Rutte’s exact role in the negotiations. But Trump’s stunning about-turn has once again shone the spotlight on the NATO secretary general, who has emerged as a pivotal figure for a frazzled Europe struggling to get through to the US president.
At first glance, they make an unlikely pair. Rutte, a mild-mannered technocrat, is the Netherlands’ longest-serving prime minister, having concluded a 14-year tenure that reflects his pragmatism and ability to forge consensus on thorny issues. He’s also known for his easygoing, relaxed image, riding a bike to work even when running the country.
Trump, meanwhile, is a former real estate mogul and TV personality known for his unorthodox moves and a tendency toward unilateralism – traits which have upended global politics for much of the past decade.
But their relationship goes back years. As Dutch leader from 2010 to 2024, Rutte made several visits to Washington, DC, during Trump’s first term, laying the ground for a charm offensive that appears to have served him – and the military alliance he now heads – well.
The 58-year-old’s most famous act of Trump-soothing diplomacy came at a NATO meeting last year. After the US president used an expletive in response to hostilities between Israel and Iran, and then the analogy of two children fighting to describe their deadly conflict, Rutte joked in front of the world’s cameras: “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language.”
The exchange instantly went viral, making headlines and prompting incredulity from viewers. It appears to have stuck with Trump, too – speaking at Davos on Wednesday, he said at one point, “They called me ‘Daddy,’ right? Last time. A very smart man said, ‘He’s our Daddy.’”
Rutte has publicly praised Trump on other matters – the US strikes on Iran, Trump’s efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, and even the president’s pressure campaign on European countries to step up their defense spending.
The flattery extended to their private text messages – which Trump has shared on social media multiple times.
“Mr President, Dear Donald. What you accomplished today in Syria is incredible,” Rutte wrote in a recent message that Trump posted to Truth Social late Monday night, ahead of his arrival in Davos. Rutte ended with a chummy sign-off: “Can’t wait to see you. Yours, Mark.”
Similarly, before last year’s NATO summit (scene of the “Daddy” incident), Rutte texted Trump: “You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done.”
These exchanges have raised eyebrows on his home continent. Rutte has acknowledged these criticisms; at a panel about European defense on Wednesday, he told the Davos audience, “I’m not popular with you now because I’m defending Donald Trump, but I really believe we can be happy that he is there.”
Many other leaders have tried to earn diplomatic wins by cultivating a personal relationship with Trump. Finnish President Alex Stubb and the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe both bonded with Trump over rounds of golf. French President Emmanuel Macron had also formed a bromance with Trump – though that appears to now be souring.
Rutte “knows that personal relationships go a long way with this administration,” Torrey Taussig, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former NATO policy adviser at the Pentagon, told CNN last year.
The Finnish president also appeared to nod to this strategy last year; he dodged questions about Rutte’s messaging around Trump, but offered: “Diplomacy has so many different forms.”
And, as obsequious as this approach may seem to his critics, it can bring real gains – as recent summits have shown.
Last year’s NATO summit ended with members unanimously agreeing to boost spending to post-Cold War highs, a policy switch credited to Trump.
And this week’s Davos forum may have averted a possible trade war between Europe and the US, which had spooked stock markets and raised existential fears about NATO’s future.
Details on the Greenland framework are scant. But Rutte did not propose any “compromise” on Danish sovereignty during his meeting with Trump, a NATO spokesperson told CNN on Thursday.
And in a Fox News interview, Rutte said the talks focused on security in the Arctic. “We basically discussed how can we implement the president’s vision on protecting, yes, Greenland, but of course this – not only Greenland – this whole Arctic,” he added.
But Europe and NATO are not out of the woods yet. Although Trump ruled out using military force to acquire Greenland in his Davos speech, he reiterated his demand for control over the island.
Negotiations between Greenland, Denmark and the US will “go forward,” a NATO spokesperson said; meanwhile, European Union leaders will still meet for an emergency summit on Thursday.
Through all this, the Dutchman at the center of it has stayed tight-lipped – only saying he’d had a “very good meeting” with Trump. When pressed for more information, he again deferred to the American president.
“Read the Truth Social post,” he told journalists.
The-CNN-Wire
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