Baba UmarWashington DC — It was classic Donald Trump.
After the military band delivered the highest diplomatic honours the US can bestow on a visiting head of state — Britain's King Charles III — the president stepped to the dais on Tuesday at the White House and quipped, "What a beautiful British day this is," referring to the rainy weather — a sharp contrast to the sunny and hot conditions Washington, DC, had seen just the day before.
Trump then complimented King Charles on his "beautiful accent," joking that it was "gonna make everybody very envious," which drew laughter from the crowd. He followed with an upbeat tribute to the deep historic bonds between the US and Britain, including warm words for Queen Elizabeth II, Charles's mother — underscoring his clear admiration for the royal family and the ceremonial pageantry that surrounds it.
The US president address came at a time when Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government and Trump appear increasingly divided over Iran, defence and NATO alliance.
But Trump did not mention the fractures in ties during his speech.
Instead, he hailed the enduring "special relationship" between Washington and London and described the visit as a profound symbol of the deep historical, cultural and military ties binding the two countries, even as America celebrates its break from British rule since 1776.
Trump noted the apparent irony of honouring a British monarch in the shadow of monuments to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson (founding fathers, and first and third US presidents) on the cusp of America's semiquincentennial.
Yet he argued no tribute could be more fitting.
"Long before Americans had a nation or a constitution, we first had a culture, a character, and a creed," Trump declared. "The American Patriots who pledged their lives to independence in 1776 were the heirs to this majestic inheritance. Their veins ran with Anglo-Saxon courage, their hearts beat with an English faith."
Trump traced the shared roots of liberty from the signing of the Magna Carta at Runnymede to the streets of Philadelphia, emphasising that the cause of freedom was not an "intellectual invention of 1776" but the culmination of centuries of struggle on both sides of the Atlantic.
He pointed to a tree planted by the late Queen Elizabeth II on the White House grounds as a living emblem of the bond.
"Like our nation itself, it was laid with British hands, but grew in American soil," Trump said.
"Today it stands tall and proud… and this morning it reminds us that the mightiest of trees, like the greatest of nations, must be anchored by the strongest and deepest of roots."
The president highlighted the personal connection he felt to Britain through his late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, who was born in Stornoway in Scotland.
He recalled her admiration for the royal family, particularly Queen Elizabeth II and a young Prince Charles.
"She came to America at 19, met my incredible father. We loved her, we loved him. Fred (Frederick Christ Trump), and they were married for... 63 years."
Trump then paused his speech, turned around, and quipped to a smiling First Lady Melania Trump, who was flanked by Queen Camilla: "That's not a record we're going to be able to match, darling. I'm sorry—just not going to work out that way."
Trump then told the visiting monarchs and delegates that his mother "loved the royal family, and she loved the queen."
"She really did love the family, but I also remember her saying, very clearly, Charles, look, young Charles, he's so cute. It's my mother. My mother had a crush on Charles. Can you believe it? Amazing how... what she's thinking right now," he said, again drawing laughter from the crowd.
Churchill-Roosevelt meeting
Trump also invoked the World War 2-era meeting between Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt aboard the HMS Prince of Wales — the same title Charles held for longer than any previous heir.
A bust of Churchill, recently returned to the Oval Office, stands as a further reminder of that alliance, he said.
In a few hours, Charles is scheduled to become the first British monarch ever to address a joint session of US Congress — an appearance Trump said he would have liked to attend despite protocol concerns.
"But there, the direct descendant of King George III will speak to the direct successor of the very body that gathered in Independence Hall in July 4, 1776. If John Adams and George Washington, or The King's fifth great grandfather, could see that site, they might be absolutely shocked. But probably only for a moment."
Trump said, "They would be moved beyond words to know that the soldiers who once called each other, redcoats and Yankees, became the Tommies and the GIs, who together saved the free world, as brothers in arms and brothers, in eternity, and nobody fought better together than us."
Trump concluded his address by praising US and US as "the two most exceptional nations the world has ever known" and urged continued partnership in "defence of liberty."
Four US jets roared over the White House in noisy flypast as Trump, Charles, Camilla and Melania watched after his speech.
The visit of British royal couple to US capital is taking place under tight security, just days after a shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner attended by Trump, which the administration has framed as third assassination attempt on the US leader in two years.
King Charles is set to address the US Congress later today, where he will seek to emphasise the enduring bond between the two countries despite months of tensions over the war on Iran.
