Donald Trump's 'brutal first impression' of King Charles laid bare as president issued 'complaint' over monarch
Charles recently visited Trump in AmericaKing Charles recently completed a high-profile four-day state visit to the United States alongside Queen Camilla, where they were hosted by the President and First Lady, Donald and Melania Trump, in Washington DC.
The trip was marked by unusually effusive public praise from Donald Trump, who described the monarch as “fantastic”, “brave”, and even called him “the greatest king”.
Yet a new account suggests that this warm rhetoric stands in contrast to the US President’s initial impression of Charles, when they first met in 2019 during the king’s time as Prince of Wales.
Donald Trump’s ‘first impression’ of King Charles
That first encounter took place at Clarence House, where the two men spoke over tea.
According to former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, Mr Trump later characterised the meeting as “terrible”.
Those remarks are now echoed in a new book by Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page, The Queen and Her Presidents.
As reported by The Telegraph, the book claims Mr Trump left the discussion “bored”, reportedly frustrated that the conversation focused heavily on climate change.
It also suggests he privately complained to aides afterwards, with Ms Grisham recalling him saying there was “nothing but climate change”, while rolling his eyes.
Don't miss a single story! Add us as a Preferred Source in Google for all your royal news
It adds that Melania Trump later described her husband as “very bored” by the exchange.
Trump’s bond with King Charles now
Despite that initial reaction, Mr Trump would later acknowledge that Charles is “really into climate change”, telling ITV at the time that the then-prince was focused on ensuring “future generations have a good climate”.
He added: “I agree. I believe that there’s a change in weather, and I think it changes both ways.”
In the years since, the tone has shifted notably. Following this latest state visit, Mr Trump has spoken more warmly of the king and his diplomatic efforts.
As the monarch departed Washington, the US President announced that tariffs on Scottish whisky would be lifted.
He credited the royal visit in a social media post in which he said: “The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!”
‘They get on very well’
A senior royal aide has since suggested the relationship between the two men is now strong on both sides, describing a genuine mutual respect.
“They get on very well. And it’s not just the king and the president. It’s all four of them with each other,” the aide said.
Read more: Donald Trump ‘went off script’ with remark about King Charles during state dinner: ‘Very poor form’
They added that despite wider diplomatic sensitivities, the personal rapport appears unaffected: “Given some of the issues that have presented themselves in the bilateral relationship, you’d think it might all be a bit tricky.
“But far from it. The warmth that you see in public is absolutely the warmth you see in private.”
Royal Insider has contacted representatives for the president for comment.
What do you think of this story? Tell us on our Facebook page.
