If George Washington was the father of our country, is Donald Trump the daddy of the world?

“Daddy” is how NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte alluded to the U.S. president as the two talked to reporters at The Hague Wednesday as part of the alliance’s meeting.

The remark came as Trump was explaining how Israel and Iran recently were allowed to fight for a while, “like two kids in a schoolyard,” before being stopped.

Joked Rutte, “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language,” a reference to Trump’s F-bomb earlier in the week as he responded to the two nations violating a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

In a later press availability, a reporter asked Trump about the “daddy” remark, noting, “[Rutte] called you ‘daddy.’ Do you consider your NATO allies as kind of children?”

Trump’s response clearly cracked up his defense secretary and secretary of state who were both standing behind him.

WATCH:

Alexander Smith, writing for NBC News, was less than amused by the “daddy” language.

“Arguably few things better demonstrate NATO’s bending over backward to please President Donald Trump than this remark by the military alliance’s secretary-general, Mark Rutte. … It was exactly the kind of machismo that Trump is known to value.”