WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump officially welcomed King Charles III to the White House on Tuesday and delivered an unwavering message about the strength of the ties between the U.S. and the United Kingdom, even as political tensions have recently boiled between the two nations.
The formal arrival ceremony on the White House South Lawn marked the start of the second day of the king and Queen Camilla’s four-day state visit to the U.S.
Music from “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band and the sounds of cannons firing filled the South Lawn, as many of Trump’s Cabinet members took part in a receiving line for British officials to kick off the ceremony.
Trump and Charles took part in a review of the troops, which filled the sprawling lawn, and listened to both nations’ national anthems before Trump delivered remarks. The affair concluded with a flyover of F-35s.
“What a beautiful British day this is,” Trump said to open his remarks on a rainy morning.
Even as the recent strain between the U.S. president and U.K. political leaders has cast an air of uncertainty around the king’s visit, Trump was resolute Tuesday in praising the “special relationship” between the two nations, adding that he hopes it will “always remain that way.”
He acknowledged the irony in the king and queen’s visit being meant to help mark the 250th anniversary of America this year, given that the nation’s founders in 1776 were seeking independence from Great Britain. But he argued it was in fact an appropriate tribute as “American patriots today can sing, ‘My country, tis of thee, sweet land of liberty’ only because our colonial ancestors first sang ‘God, Save the King.’”
“The American patriots who pledged their lives to independence in 1776 were the heirs to this majestic inheritance,” he said. “Their veins ran with Anglo-Saxon courage. Their hearts beat with an English faith in standing firm for what is right, good and true.”
In a moment of levity, Trump also touched on how his own mother was born in Scotland, again recounting her admiration for the royal family.
“Any time the queen was involved in a ceremony or anything, my mother would be glued to the television,” Trump said, even remembering one time in which the president said his mother pointed out to him that Charles was “cute.”
“My mother had a crush on Charles – can you believe it?” he said.
Trump also noted his own official state visit to the U.K. last year, which made him the first U.S. president to receive the honor twice.
Following the ceremony, the president, first lady, king and queen were set to exchange gifts in the White House before Trump and Charles sat down for an Oval Office meeting. While the meeting was kept private, Trump told reporters afterward as he escorted the king and queen back to their car that it was “really good” and that Charles was “fantastic.”
First lady Melania Trump and Camilla took part in an event with students about technology in education at the White House tennis court as their husbands were meeting.
The king later Tuesday addressed a joint meeting of Congress, becoming the first British monarch to do so since his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, did so in 1991.
Trump, in his remarks at the arrival ceremony, also praised Elizabeth and noted that he planned to watch Charles’ speech on television. Trump said he considered attending but was told it wasn’t “protocol” and would be a “step too far.”
Although the king is not an elected official or generally supposed to be seen as a political figure, it has been seemingly impossible to separate the recent tensions between Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, along with many European and NATO member countries, from the royal couple’s four-day U.S. visit.
Trump frequently criticizes many of the United States’ European allies, including the U.K., for their handling of energy and immigration issues. But recently, tensions have particularly boiled after Trump, along with Israel, launched the war in Iran. The president has lamented that NATO allies such as the U.K. have not, in his view, been there to support the U.S., and Trump has feuded with Starmer over the use of military bases in particular.
Trump’s expressed frustrations have included floating the idea of pulling the U.S. out of NATO entirely.
Also hanging over the trip is the recent saga around convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that dominated Congress last summer and fall. Charles — who stripped his brother, Prince Andrew, of his titles and ousted him from his royal residence over his ties to Epstein — is facing calls from one lawmaker in particular, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to meet with survivors of the convicted sex offender while in the U.S., but it does not appear it will happen.
Khanna held an event with survivors at the Capitol on Tuesday ahead of the speech.
After his address, Charles and Camilla will return to the White House in the evening for a formal state dinner.
The king and queen arrived in the U.S. on Monday and were informally greeted by the president and first lady at the White House in the afternoon before attending a garden party at the British Embassy.
The royal couple is set to travel to New York and Virginia on the trip as well.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source spectrumlocalnews.com ’
