On last week’s state visit, Donald Trump and King Charles smiled, received warm praise and easy laughter as they concluded their meeting at the White House.
Trump hailed the monarch as “the greatest King” and repeatedly described him as “fantastic,” capping a surprisingly cordial meeting on the global stage.
During their first meeting in 2019, Charles was still Prince of Wales and hosting Trump for tea at Clarence House reportedly fell through.
According to former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham and detailed in Susan Page’s book. The Queen and her Presidents, Trump later complained that the conversation had been “terrible,” saying it focused on “nothing but climate change.”
Even Melania Trump reportedly joked that her husband had been “very bored.”
Now King, Charles took to the world stage with renewed authority during a high-profile state visit that spanned New York, Washington DC and Virginia, before continuing alone to Bermuda.
The visit marked one of the most significant diplomatic moments of his reign so far and perhaps the most closely watched.
At the center of the speech was a historic speech to the United States Congress, where the King received multiple standing ovations, earning praise for his message about global cooperation, sustainability and shared values.
