King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived at the White House on Monday for a state visit in Washington, a city still reeling from a weekend shooting and a transatlantic alliance showing fresh signs of strain. British flags lined lamp-posts outside the White House, where President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted the royal couple with handshakes. The four exchanged pleasantries and posed for photographs before heading inside for a private tea.
Diplomatic Maneuvering Behind Closed Doors
The British monarch was spared the potential humiliation of being upbraided in public by the US president after the White House agreed that any meeting between the two men should be held off-camera. UK ministers have pinned great hopes on the state visit, which they hope will help repair the relationship between the two countries at one of its most difficult periods in decades. With Trump threatening retaliation for criticism of the Iran war by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the government is hoping the king might be able to talk Trump down from some of his more aggressive statements.
Security Scare Overshadows Dinner
The four-day tour, intended to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence, begins against the backdrop of a diplomatic rift over Trump’s war in Iran and a dramatic security scare at last Saturday’s White House correspondents’ dinner. The shooting has prompted questions over security, with some asking how a shooter was able to get close to where Trump and many other senior administration officials were gathered. Many others praised law enforcement for swiftly stopping the attack.
Supreme Court Ruling on Texas Map
The US Supreme Court formally reinstated on Monday a redrawn Texas electoral map designed to add more Republicans to the US House of Representatives, as Trump’s party seeks to keep control of Congress in the November congressional elections.
First Lady Calls for Jimmy Kimmel to Be Fired
In the aftermath of the correspondents’ dinner shooting, Melania Trump accused Jimmy Kimmel of “hateful and violent rhetoric” and said it was “time for ABC to take a stand” against the comedian. The first lady appeared to refer to a monologue by Kimmel broadcast on Thursday, in which he referred to Melania Trump as an “expectant widow” in a speech largely about the Trumps’ connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
Mexico Warns Against US Operations
Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president, said on Monday that her government told the United States, in a diplomatic note, that the unauthorized presence of US officials at an anti-narcotics operation in Chihuahua should not be repeated.
Germany’s Chancellor Criticizes Trump
The US is being “humiliated” by Iran’s leadership, according to Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor, who suggested the Trump administration was being outwitted at the negotiating table by Tehran.
Other Key Developments
- The US Supreme Court will hear arguments in a key pesticide regulation case, setting the stage for a ruling that could weaken consumers’ ability to sue companies for failing to warn of product risks.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces the prospect of running against a rightwing-centrist super coalition after two of his rivals combined forces.
- Backers of a proposal to levy a one-time tax on California billionaires say they have gathered enough signatures for the November ballot, spurring tech moguls to spend tens of millions to oppose it.
- A US State Department post recruiting Americans to be its “eyes and ears” abroad, featuring a picture of London, suggests “unease” in ties, say US and UK diplomats.
- A trial between Elon Musk and Sam Altman kicked off in California, with Musk accusing Altman of betraying OpenAI’s founding agreement by changing it to a for-profit enterprise.
