King Charles and Donald Trump shared lighthearted moments as they exchanged jokes during their speeches at the White House State Dinner on Tuesday. However, one of Charles’ jokes aimed at the U.S. President has sparked reactions online, with Donald Trump becoming the focus of ridicule.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have since left Washington, D.C., and arrived in New York City to continue their four-day state visit. The royals spent significant time with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump following their arrival at the White House on Monday.
On Tuesday, the second day of the visit, King Charles addressed Congress and received standing ovations. The Washington portion of the trip concluded with a White House State Dinner that included several lighthearted exchanges.
At the dinner toast, both King Charles and Donald Trump spoke, with the monarch delivering a few jokes — several of them directed at Trump.
At the Davos Summit in January, Donald Trump criticized European allies, accusing them of relying on U.S. defense support since World War II. Trump said that without U.S. assistance during the war, “you’d be speaking German and a little Japanese.”
King Charles did not miss the reference. With 250 years of U.S. independence being marked this year, he used the moment to respond with humor.
“You recently commented, Mr. President, 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,” Charles said.
The king was referencing the colonial history of North America, where British and French powers once competed for control before the United States became independent 250 years ago. The clip of King Charles joking with Trump quickly went viral on social media. While many praised the monarch’s humor, others mocked Donald Trump, with some claiming he did not understand the joke.
“I’m sure Trump has no idea what he’s referring to,” one user wrote under the clip on X.
“That awkward smile, yeah, he definitely didn’t catch that one,” another said.
A third commented, “The look of embarrassed bewilderment says that he has no idea what the King is referring to,” while a fourth asked, “Can someone explain this one to Trump later, please?”
“Trump having no idea why that joke is so funny since he knows nothing about history, turns to the ‘audience’ and grins as if he’s in on the joke,” another user wrote.
Thoughts on King Charles’ joke? Please share your opinion in the comments.
