Trump tells King Charles: “Americans have had no closer friends than the British”
The submarine bell from HMS Trump, a special gift to the President
On the second day of his state visit to the United States, speaking before Congress, where he was repeatedly acclaimed with loud applause, King Charles III stressed the value and importance of the indispensable UK and US partnership.
Later on Tuesday evening the royal couple was honored with an official lavish banquet at the White House in which the two leaders exchanged jokes.
A report from BBC, says the historic visit was the biggest diplomatic moment of Charles reign, against a backdrop of deepening political tensions between the US and the UK, but in the end there were about 12 standing ovations in total, as the audience repeatedly interrupted the King’s address.
It might once have been taken for granted that the US and UK would be partners in defending democratic values, but after recent tensions there seemed to be no such guarantees – and the King was in the Capitol to rekindle that alliance, to an audience of political powerbrokers from both Republican and Democrat parties.
We meet in times of great uncertainty, in times of conflict from Europe to the Middle East which pose immense challenges, he told the chamber, filled with US lawmakers.
However Charles avoided any reference to specific frictions during his speech, but rather opted to combine his words with a light tone of diplomatic approaches and joke-heavy.
He praised what he called the shared history and values of the two countries, quipping at one point that Washington, DC was “a tale of two Georges”, the first US President George Washington and his ancestor, the UK’s King George.
He assured lawmakers, to laughs, he was not in the US “as part of some cunning rearguard action” in a delayed continuation of the Revolutionary War.
“I am here on this great occasion in the life of our nations to express the highest regard and friendship of the British people to the people of the United States,” the sovereign said to repeated standing ovations.
But amid broad themes of unity, more pointed messages were also present. He did not directly address the US-Israel war with Iran or Trump’s outspoken criticism of NATO allies who have rejected joining Washington’s war efforts.
Instead, he praised support for NATO and the alliance’s invocation of its Article 5 collective defense treaty in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
“We answered the call together, as our people have done so for more than a century, shoulder to shoulder through two world wars, the Cold War, Afghanistan and moments that have defined our shared security,” he said.
He then turned to funding for Ukraine, an increasingly pointed issue in the Republican-controlled US Congress.
“Today, Mr Speaker, that same unyielding resolve is needed for the defense of Ukraine and her most courageous people,” he said, referring to House Speaker Mike Johnson.
In one instance, Charles hailed the “US$430 billion in annual trade that continues to grow, the US$1.7 trillion in mutual investment that fuels that innovation”.
Last week, Trump threatened to impose a “big tariff” on the UK if it did not drop a digital services tax on US tech companies.
At another point, Charles pointed to global environmental concerns.
“We ignore, at our peril, the fact that these natural systems, in other words, nature’s own economy, provide the foundation for our prosperity and our national security,” he said.
Trump has called climate change a “con job” and withdrew from the landmark Paris Agreement climate accords during his first and second terms. His administration has since pursued deregulation of fossil fuels and pivoted away from green energy, an approach embraced by many members of the president’s Republican Party.
Other messages appeared to gently reference political trends in the US, where critics have accused Trump of using the Department of Justice for political retribution and of overturning long-standing norms of presidential authority.
Charles described the “common ideals” of the US and UK: “The rule of law, the certainty of stable and accessible rules, an independent judiciary, resolving disputes and delivering impartial justice”.
He also drew a through-line between the Magna Carta, the 13th-century document that established that the British king was subject to law, and constitutional and legal precedent in the US, calling it “the foundation of the principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances”.
The address came shortly before Trump was set to host Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, for an official state dinner at the White House, with room for an ample exchange of jokes.
On the US 250th anniversary and colonial past, Charles recalled that 250 years, “as we say in the United Kingdom, is just the other day. And, “Mr. President, you recently commented that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German, dare I say that, if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French…! he told the audience.
President Trump looked delighted with a gift at the state dinner, when the King gave him an original bell from a wartime submarine, called HMS Trump.
And should you ever need to get hold of us… well, just give us a ring! said the King.
The US president also underlined that Charles’ address to Congress was ‘fantastic’ and was surprised how many Democrats cheered and supported it, “something I have never been able to achieve”
But he also had praise and admiration for the British, “the bond with the UK is a friendship unlike any other on Earth”. A “cherished friendship” and that “nobody fought better than us.” “Americans have had no closer friends than the British,” Trump added. “We speak the same language, we hold the same values and together, our warriors have defended the same extraordinary civilization under twin banners of red, white, and blue.”
Trump also spoke about how his mother, of Scottish descent, loved the royal family and thought young Charles was “so cute” and “had a crush” on the then-prince, which caused the crowd to gasp and laugh.
He quipped that his parents were married for 63 years, looking at the first lady, “That’s a record we won’t be able to match darling, just not going to work out that way”.
The King concluded his speech by thanking Trump for a wonderful dinner, quipping that it was a considerable improvement on the Boston Tea Party.
