June 27, 2025
Usher’s 2010 hit “Hey Daddy” is the talk of the town thanks to the White House’s NATO Summit recap.
It’s unclear whether the White House got Usher’s permission to use his 2010 hit “Hey Daddy” to soundtrack a recap of Donald Trump’s NATO Summit visit, but they did it anyway, and now social media is buzzing.
The White House used its official Twitter account on June 25 to share a video highlighting Trump’s attendance at the NATO Summit in Hague, Netherlands. Clips showed Trump meeting and shaking hands with world leaders, and the song of choice left many scratching their heads.
“🎶 Daddy’s home… Hey, hey, hey, Daddy. President Donald J. Trump attended the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands,” the White House captioned the post.
The use of Usher’s “Daddy’s Home” likely serves as a comedic reference to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who jokingly referred to Trump as “Daddy” during diplomatic talks at the summit.
“Daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get (them) to stop,” Rutte said.
When asked about the nickname, Trump responded with a grin:
“He did it very affectionately, ‘Daddy, you’re my Daddy,’” he said in response.
The White House’s recap video features Trump stepping off Air Force One and mingling with world leaders at the NATO summit, all set to Usher’s “Hey, hey, hey Daddy” playing in the background, giving the video a playful tone despite the serious policy matters at hand.
Criticism of the video recap was swift, with many bashing the Trump administration’s handling of a serious world event.
“Nothing says presidential dignity like the official White House account cosplaying as a thirsty fan page,” one person wrote.
“This is the cringiest collapse of a nation in real time,” added someone else.
One Usher fan tweeted the singer to ask him directly if he permitted Trump to use his song, which remains unclear.
“Hey @Usher surely you didn’t give Donald Trump permission to use your song “Hey Daddy” for this ridiculous sh*t, Right? 🤨,” they wrote.
Trump has previously been hit with lawsuits and cease-and-desist orders from artists like Abba, Adele, Aerosmith, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Pharrell, and Rihanna for using their music without permission. .
RELATED CONTENT: Do Better: Patrons Skip Out On $200 Bill, ‘Dine-and-Dash’ Fails Black-Owned Restaurants
