Donald Trump has claimed that King Charles “probably would have helped us” in Iran, in another attack on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Nato. The US president made the comments as the King and Queen were in New York during their four-day state visit.
Mr Trump said the monarch was a “phenomenal representative for his country” and suggested he would have differed in his approach to the conflict from the prime minister. “The King loves his country, and he's a great king, and he's a great friend of mine. And I think if that it were up to him, he would have probably helped us with Iran,” he said.
Asked whether the King’s speech referring to the need for a strong Nato alliance had changed his mind, Mr Trump said he was very disappointed in Nato after the US “asked them to do some things about Ukraine and Iran”. He added: “He would have followed the suggestions we made with respect to Ukraine.”
The president breached protocol by claiming to know the King’s views, having previously said Charles agreed Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. Mr Trump has repeatedly condemned Nato for relying too much on the US for funding and has threatened to pull America out of the alliance.
It is the second time he has claimed the King would have acted differently from the prime minister over Iran, having said as much earlier this month when the royal visit was announced.
