US ambassador Joe Popolo has said Rob Jetten is “absolutely welcome” at the White House after old social media messages resurfaced in which the prime minister described Donald Trump as a “misogynist” who “flirts with dictators”.

Jetten will have dinner with the US president and his wife, Melania, during a state visit by king Willem-Alexander and queen Maxima to Washington that begins on April 13.

Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right PVV party, attempted to confect a row on social media channel X, formerly known as Twitter, at the weekend when he reposted a tweet that Jetten posted after Trump won the presidential election in November 2024.

The tweet, originally posted in Dutch, read: “Trump, a convicted criminal, is becoming president of the US. A misogynist who wants to take away hard-won freedoms, such as abortion. A man who openly flirts with dictators. What lies ahead are years of chaos, division, and recklessness.”

Wilders posted an English translation and appealed to Trump not to trust Jetten, calling him “a leftish liberal politician and an enemy of the people … [who] hates your guts”.

Trump, een veroordeelde crimineel, wordt president van de VS. Een vrouwenhater die verworven vrijheden, zoals abortus, weer wil afnemen. Een man die openlijk flirt met dictators. Wat voor ons ligt, zijn jaren van chaos, verdeeldheid en roekeloosheid.

Deze verkiezingsuitslag legt… pic.twitter.com/HmF5CIVL7J

— Rob Jetten (@RobJetten) November 6, 2024

But Popolo, in an interview with WNL op Zondag, dismissed the suggestion that the tweet could sour relations and said Trump was “proud and appreciative of the relationship between our two countries”.

Important relationship

“I think the president is someone who looks forward and he appreciates very much that politicians say things when they’re running for office and then he looks at what they do when they’re in office,” the ambassador said.

“You’ve seen Mr Jetten speak up very eloquently about the importance of the American and Dutch relationship, our interconnectedness and frankly our interdependence. I think the president is very excited to help develop that relationship going forward.”

Popolo said the king and queen would stay as guests in the White House to return the favour after Trump spent a night at Huis ten Bosch palace in The Hague during the Nato summit in the Netherlands last summer.

“The king and queen invited them to stay at the palace, which they did, and they developed a great relationship,” said Popolo.

“I think the president and the king and queen first lady hit it off and so now it’s now our chance to say thank you and to reciprocate.”