AMSTERDAM (BN24) — Queen Maxima of the Netherlands sparked a flurry of viral reactions after appearing to mock U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech mannerisms during a joint photo opportunity in Amsterdam on Wednesday, shortly after a high-profile breakfast meeting ahead of the NATO summit.
The U.S. president, visiting the Netherlands for the summit, met with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at the royal palace as part of his diplomatic engagements in Europe. Trump later praised the encounter on his Truth Social platform.
“The day begins in the beautiful Netherlands. The King and Queen are beautiful and spectacular people,” Trump posted. “Our breakfast meeting was great! Now it’s off to the very important NATO meetings. The USA will be very well represented.”
However, it was the trio’s brief appearance before the cameras that seized attention online. As Trump thanked the press and remarked, “That’s the picture we want,” and “It was great,” Queen Maxima appeared to subtly imitate his mouth movements—an action quickly dissected and shared across social media platforms.
Observers online were quick to interpret her gesture as mockery. A clip of the moment went viral within hours, with thousands of social media users weighing in on the queen’s apparent mimicry.
“This is hilarious! I’ve never been a fan of our stiff monarchy, but Queen Maxima rocks it,” one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote. “Treat him like a baby.”
“Maxima does not like Trump’s a** one bit,” another posted. Others chimed in with: “Was Queen Maxima of the Netherlands mimicking Donald Trump?!” and “Our queen making fun of Trump while standing right next to him—legend!”
Still, some defended the 54-year-old Argentine-born queen, suggesting that the clip may have been misinterpreted. “Awkward, but I think an accident,” one commenter wrote. “People are reading this wrong,” said another.
The White House declined to comment on the clip. Trump himself has made no public reference to the viral footage since returning to Washington following the conclusion of the summit.
The moment capped off a colorful NATO gathering, during which NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte—himself a Dutch native and former prime minister—made headlines by seemingly referring to Trump as “daddy” during a discussion about the Middle East conflict.
Comparing the war between Israel and Iran to “two kids in a schoolyard,” Trump had reportedly used strong language about the ceasefire’s fragility. Rutte, responding with his own metaphor, added, “Then daddy has to sometimes use strong language,” prompting widespread media commentary. Rutte later clarified that he was not directly calling Trump “daddy,” saying the comment was “figurative.”
news.com.au
