Donald Trump revealed on Tuesday that his mother had a crush on King Charles III. This revelation came during the British monarch’s visit to the White House, where Trump lavished praise on the royals and their country.
Trump recalled how his Scottish-born mother Mary loved Queen Elizabeth II and was “glued to the television” whenever she appeared. He also remembered her saying, “Charles, look, young Charles. He’s so cute.”
The 77-year-old king seemed to take the compliment in stride as Trump went on to hail Queen Elizabeth as a “very, very special woman who is very greatly missed on both sides of that mighty Atlantic.”
Moments before the royals arrived, Trump joked about living in Buckingham Palace on his Truth Social network. The White House also posted on X with a crown emoji and a picture of Charles and Trump.
For critics, the praise was too close to home. Trump’s push for more presidential power and renaming buildings after himself have sparked “No Kings” protests during his second term.
Trump admitted it was ironic that he was giving such an elaborate welcome to a British monarch in the 250th anniversary of US independence from the British crown. However, British officials were relieved to hear Trump say that the United States had no closer friends than Britain.
The president emphasized the common heritage between Britain and the United States during his speech, hailing Britain’s role in colonizing North America despite its controversial history with native people. He also praised the Anglo-Saxon courage of American patriots who fought for independence in 1776.