President Trump has clearly been looking forward to this week’s state visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the White House.
In recent weeks, Trump has brought up the visit multiple times, referring to the king as “a great gentleman,” “tough,” “a great guy,” “a nice guy,” and “a friend of mine.”
The four-day visit is intended to be a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S.’s independence from Great Britain. A Saturday night shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington where Trump was attending sparked a last-minute security review but the trip’s itinerary appears unaffected.
However, political tension hangs over the proceedings as Trump has recently clashed with the UK over the Iran War. Especially given the president’s fondness for the British royals, the meeting between the leaders could serve to ease the tensions between the two countries, if only temporarily.
The war in Iran has been the source of much of the tensions between the two countries. On multiple occasions, Trump has criticized the UK for not joining the U.S. and Israel in their war in Iran, at various points mocking and insulting Prime Minister Keir Starmer not assisting the US militarily.
“When we asked them for help, they were not there. When we needed them, they were not there. When we didn’t need them, they were not there. And they still aren’t there,” he told Sky News this month.
While the UK has allowed the US to use bases in their country in the Iran conflict, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has insisted “this is not our war”, and also added earlier this month that he’s “fed up” with the war’s impacts on his country.
Iran isn’t the only topic that has caused friction. Trump railed against the UK’s plan to cede to Mauritius the Chagos Islands, one of which is home to a U.S. air base. Discussing that island with reporters, Trump said of Starmer, “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.” He also has repeatedly pushed the UK to allow new oil and gas drilling licenses in the North Sea.
Last week, the president threatened a new tariff on UK goods in response to a digital services tax that the UK has imposed on tech companies.
“If they don’t drop the tax, we’ll probably put a big tariff on the UK,” he said.
None of this means that Trump and the monarchs will be debating policy in DC this week; the King and Queen are required to remain politically neutral.
However, the monarchy is considered a tool of the UK’s soft power, and Trump may be particularly receptive to that soft power.
Trump’s mother was born in Scotland, and he has long spoken of her affinity for the British royal family. He also spoke glowingly of meeting Queen Elizabeth II during his first term and has spoken warmly of King Charles over the years.
In addition to meeting with Trump, King Charles will speak to a joint session of Congress – only the second time a British monarch will give such an address.
When his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, addressed Congress in 1991, she stressed the importance of democracy, international cooperation, and multilateral organizations like the UN and NATO, and also praised the two countries’ cooperation in the Gulf War.
The circumstances of this visit are far from that: Trump regularly blasts allies, as well as NATO, and the UK has declined to participate more fully in the Iran war — emphasizing how much relations have shifted in recent years.
King Charles’ address will touch on some topics that the US and UK disagree on, including NATO, according to the palace, and will focus on renewing relations between the countries.
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