After the 2025 Dutch election, Rob Jetten of the D66 party was named as the incumbent prime minister of the Netherlands. Making him also the first openly gay PM in Dutch history!
In one of the tensest elections in decades, D66’s win was by no means a landslide — but Jetten’s victory and incoming position as prime minister of the Netherlands is a historic moment.
The daunting task of creating a coalition strong enough to face the PVV (a sworn enemy and the largest opposition party) is emblematic of this chaotic decade in global politics. Only time will tell if Jetten is up to the task.
But we’re not here to bother you with more analyses of the incoming cabinet. No, today, we’re talking about the cultural implications of the newest Dutch prime minister, and why it matters that he’s young, gay, and dating an expat.
Firstly, who is Rob Jetten?
Rob Arnoldus Adrianus Jetten, born in Veghel in 1987 (yes, he’s only 38 years old), has served as the leader of the centre-left D66 party since 2023.
His liberal leanings and Obama-esque campaign slogan (“Het kan wel,” or “It is possible”) have generated fervour and excitement among Dutch youth and beyond.
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He’s an interesting figure: by no means a revolutionary, but rather, a dignified icon who harkens back to the days of quietly liberal moderates with progressive backgrounds.
While some find him unexciting, his politics are pushing D66 into new territory.
His willingness to embrace the Dutch flag as a progressive, for instance, seemingly convinced Dutch voters that left-leaning values don’t mean a rejection of tradition and national pride (as PVV would have you believe).
He’s not always been a success, though. In the 2023 elections, D66 and Jetten fared quite poorly, reports the BBC.
That’s his political track record — but what are we to make of his personal life?
Should we care that he’s gay?
Jetten is also breaking barriers and moving the nation forward in other ways, just by being himself.
Jetten, who is currently engaged to Argentine hockey player Nicolaás Keenen, will be the first Dutch Prime Minister to be openly homosexual.
@nicokeenan97 Election night, let’s go🔥🫶🏽 @RobJetten #stemmen #d66 ♬ WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! – RAYE
While the Netherlands has long been considered something of a haven for the queer, international politics and far-right resurgences have brought back the issue of sexuality and gender protections.
It’s undeniably a milestone for the country. Despite being the first country to legalise same-sex marriage in 2001, the Netherlands has never had an openly gay prime minister before.
But Jetten does not put his sexuality at the forefront of his career. While he’s certainly not shy about who he is, being gay doesn’t much play into his political decision-making (as far as we can tell).
Apparently, some didn’t even know about his sexuality until after the elections.
Plus, as the comment above mentions, the focus on Jetten’s sexual identity seemed to be coming largely from the outside.
Some felt that foreign media outlets were putting added emphasis on these aspects of his life, especially considering his own lack of discussion about his sexuality.
That’s not to say he’s avoiding the topic. Jetten has definitely spoken up for his community before and has previously discussed LGBTQ+ safety in the country.
In a viral video posted to social media in 2020, Jetten read out the countless homophobic comments and hate speech he had received in his time in the public eye.
However, he is careful to put his support for LGBTQ+ rights in context.
For instance, he has also condemned the “homonationalism” of his opponent, Geert Wilders, reports Reuters, which is the tendency to invoke LGBTQ+ rights only in arguments against migration.
Given how carefully (and infrequently) he approaches the subject, though, it seems that if you were to ask Jetten, his answer would be no. Voters shouldn’t care that he’s gay, whether that is for positive or negative reasons.
His priorities lie in governance, which, ultimately, is what one would hope for a prime minister.
He’s the youngest prime minister yet
If you thought that was it for the ground-breaking characteristics Jetten brings to the table, you would be wrong.
In fact, he is also the youngest prime minister in Dutch history. At only 38 years old (39 this coming March), Jetten represents a younger generation of political leaders emerging globally.
READ MORE | 14 forward-thinking things Dutch people do
Some might see his youth as a potential lack of experience, but others see it as a bonus.
As reported by the Guardian, D66’s former party chair, Victor Everhardt, said that Jetten “can lead us to the future.”
And he’s engaged to an expat
Well, we’ve covered Jetten, so what about his husband-to-be?
More specifically, should we care that he’s an expat? Yes and no.
Nicolaás Keenan, Jetten’s fiancé, is a 28-year-old field hockey player from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
@nicokeenan97 lip sync has left the room
♬ Illegal – PinkPantheress
Besides locking down the next prime minister as his future hubby, he also currently plays for HC Klein Zwitserland in The Hague and has twice represented his home country at the Olympics, reports Cosmopolitan Magazine.
So, is it significant that Keenan isn’t Dutch?
Truthfully, it doesn’t seem to matter much. While Jetten’s and his party’s policy is pro-integration and generally softer on migration than, say, the VVD, this has been true long before Keenan and Jetten ever met.
Additionally, while his fiancé may have been born in Argentina, it’s important to note that he was raised in the EU (in Spain).
Plus, the two met in the Hague, at Albert Heijn. You couldn’t ask for a more Dutch meet-cute!
While he doesn’t like to delve into his personal life on the political stage, Jetten and D66’s win is, in many ways, impossible to separate from his identity entirely. Especially when the battle for his position saw him neck-in-neck with a man like Geert Wilders.
In spite of the international headlines his win triggered, overall, it seems like Jetten is an establishment centre-left politician who prefers his politics to be emphasised more than anything else.
His youth, sexuality, and partner are, if anything, just interesting facts about a man who’s here to do a difficult and demanding job.
Although we’ll surely tune in to see the wedding photos.
What do you think of Jetten? Let us know in the comments!
