(AFP) – President Donald Trump hailed Charles III as the “greatest king” at a White House farewell Thursday — and said the United States needed more people like Britain’s monarch. The formal goodbye capped a four-day diplomatic marathon by Charles and Queen Camilla aimed at easing transatlantic tensions over the Iran war.
“He’s a great king — the greatest king, in my book,” Trump told reporters as the king and queen arrived at the South Portico of the White House for the brief ceremony. Minutes later, as the royal couple drove off following handshakes and a bit more chat, Trump added: “Great people. We need more people like that in our country.”
Trump didn’t say who he meant. But the 79-year-old has frequently joked about becoming a king himself, and critics accuse him of acting like one by rolling back limits on presidential powers. The president’s evident fascination for monarchy is particularly jarring given the United States is celebrating the 250th anniversary of independence from the British empire — and Charles’s ancestors.
The British king’s state visit was officially meant to mark the US-UK alliance in the anniversary year but has ended up being more about salvaging the so-called “special relationship.” Trump has bitterly criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his opposition to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Charles and Camilla were later paying their respects to fallen US troops at Arlington National Cemetery just outside Washington, before meeting with Native Americans at a national park. They will then depart for the British island territory of Bermuda in the Atlantic.
© 2024 AFP
