Royal encounters with world leaders often come wrapped in diplomatic niceties and carefully worded compliments. But when Donald Trump is involved, you can usually expect something a little more... unfiltered.
Royal biographer Robert Hardman recently shed light on a candid exchange he had with President Trump, one that offered a rare and rather entertaining glimpse into how the 45th and now 47th US President truly felt about his meetings with the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Two Meetings, One Lasting Impression
Trump met Queen Elizabeth on two official occasions during her reign. The first was in July 2018 at Windsor Castle, and the second came in June 2019 during a full state visit to the United Kingdom. That second visit turned out to be historically significant though no one knew it at the time. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, state visits to the UK were essentially put on hold through 2020 and 2021, making Trump the last foreign head of state to be formally received by the Queen on British soil.
It was this very detail that Hardman brought up when he visited Trump at the White House Oval Office, where he had gone to present the President with a copy of his new biography, simply titled Elizabeth II.
The Oval Office Exchange
Hardman told Trump that he held the distinction of being the final state visitor Queen Elizabeth ever hosted. Trump's immediate reaction was playful: "I was the last? I hope I didn't do anything to offend her!" a line that drew a laugh, but also hinted at a genuine curiosity about how he had been perceived.
Hardman, speaking to the Daily Mail, was happy to fill him in. According to those who were close to the Queen, Elizabeth had privately described Trump as "charming, tall, tanned, big, courteous, mid-century" and notably "amusing." It was, by royal standards, a fairly warm assessment.
Trump listened, took it all in, and delivered his verdict with trademark brevity: "I've had better, and I've certainly had worse."
It's a line that somehow manages to be simultaneously modest and boastful which, when you think about it, is a pretty accurate summary of Trump's communication style in general.
A Tariff Twist Tied to the Royal Visit
The timing of Hardman's account is interesting, coming just as Trump made a surprising policy announcement connected to King Charles III's recent state visit to the United States.
Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump declared that he would be lifting US tariffs and trade restrictions on Scotch whisky specifically "in honour of the King and Queen." In a post that mixed warmth with his characteristic flair for self-congratulation, Trump wrote: "The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking! A wonderful Honor to have them both in the USA."
It was a notable gesture, and one that suggested the royal charm offensive whether from Elizabeth in years past or Charles and Camilla today has a way of cutting through even the most entrenched political positions.
Whether Queen Elizabeth would have appreciated Trump's backhanded compliment about their meetings is, of course, something we'll never know. But given that she reportedly found him "amusing," there's every chance she might have had a quiet smile about it
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