Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, hosted King Charles III and Queen Camilla last week. The U.S. president made several unusual claims about the king, prompting a response from the Palace. Now, he has done it again, bringing Charles into global politics once more.
After his visit to the UK last year, President Donald Trump invited King Charles and Queen Camilla to the U.S. The visit, which took place last week, was not only a gesture of courtesy but also an effort to ease tensions between the countries amid the war in Iran.
While King Charles and the rest of the Royal Family do not comment on political matters, the monarch still found himself in a difficult position. During the State Dinner at the White House, the U.S. president claimed that Charles supported him on the Iran crisis.
“We’re doing a little Middle East work right now… and we’re doing very well,” Trump said during a toast. “We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we’re never going to let that opponent ever — Charles agrees with me even more than I do. We’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon. They know that, and they’ve known it right now, very powerfully,” he continued.
The claim prompted Buckingham Palace to respond. A spokesman told The Sun: “The King is naturally mindful of his Government’s long-standing and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation.”
Only days after King Charles and Queen Camilla returned to the UK, Trump once again brought the monarch into his political messaging. After the royals had left, Trump announced that he would remove tariffs on whisky from Scotland.
Donald Trump removes tariffs on whisky “in honor” of King Charles and Queen Camilla
“In Honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, who have just left the White House, soon headed back to their wonderful Country, I will be removing the Tariffs and Restrictions on Whiskey having to do with Scotland’s ability to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky on Whiskey and Bourbon, two very important Industries within Scotland and Kentucky,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He went on to say that “people have wanted to do this for a long time,” calling it a “great Inter-Country Trade.”
“The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking! A wonderful Honor to have them both in the U.S.A.,” Trump concluded.
Buckingham Palace once again issued a response. In a statement to People Magazine, a Palace spokesperson said: “The King has been informed of President Trump’s warm gesture and sends his sincere gratitude for a decision that will make an important difference to the British whisky industry and the livelihoods it supports.”
They added: “His Majesty will be raising a dram to the President’s thoughtfulness and generous hospitality as he departs the US after a most enjoyable State Visit for both Their Majesties in this special anniversary year.”
During a press conference, Trump confirmed he “took all the restrictions off, so Scotland and Kentucky can start dealing again.”
The news comes at a time when the whisky industry is struggling in both Kentucky and Scotland. During his administration’s ongoing trade dispute, Donald Trump introduced a 10 percent tariff on imports — including Scotch whisky, according to the BBC.
Leaders in Scotland and across the U.K. have since urged that the tariff be reduced or removed entirely, arguing it would benefit both Scottish and American distillers, especially as the United States remains the world’s largest consumer of Scotch, Politico reported.
At the same time, Scotland spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year importing oak barrels from Kentucky distillers, further straining the industry.
