Just when everything was going so well for Donald Trump and his charm offensive with the royals, the President crossed a major line. After surprisingly saying he was 'very jealous' of the King's historic address to Congress, where Charles stressed the importance of collaboration between America and its allies, the NATO alliance, and standing up for justice and peace around the world, Trump made a controversial declaration.
During the glittering State Dinner at the White House, Trump claimed that Charles 'agrees with me' on his stance that Iran should never have nuclear weapons. The King, as head of state, typically stands above party politics and remains neutral. The cavalier remarks risk drawing the monarch into the political row over the crisis in the Middle East.
Audible Gasps at the White House
I was in the room when Trump made his shocking statement, to audible gasps from the travelling press pack. While the Foreign Secretary nodded at Trump's comments, in line with British foreign policy, dragging the King into such a diplomatic nightmare shows this President's distinct lack of class and understanding of the discretion needed in such matters.
Somewhat more diplomatically, Buckingham Palace said: 'The King is naturally mindful of his Government's long-standing and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation.'
A Dangerous Loose Cannon
For all his heavily scripted comments this week, on America's bond and respect for Britain, and his willingness to enshrine the special relationship, Trump is a dangerous loose cannon. Within hours of the state dinner, Trump posted a crass AI-generated image on social media, depicting himself holding a machine gun against a fiery backdrop with yet another threat to Iran.
Downing Street, which has come in for some of the worst of Trump's criticism of late, will have been hoping the King could smooth over the cracks of the damaged union. But this is what they are dealing with: a mad man who has no regard for the values that Charles so eloquently championed, and for whom words and, more despairingly, history, have no meaning.
