Donald Trump asks if Canada has 'stopped' recognising King Charles

Dorothy Reddin
Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:26:41 +0000

Donald Trump questioned an author over whether Canadians continue to "recognise the King" as their head of state, while also confirming he will not pursue an invasion of the country.

This marks a turning point with the US President stepping back from his repeated threats to absorb Canada as America's "51st state".

Speaking to royal biographer Robert Hardman for his forthcoming book on Elizabeth II, the US President acknowledged that Canada's two centuries of nationhood made annexation unrealistic within his remaining term.

"I suppose the Canadians have got 200 years of history and all that 'Oh, Canada' thing," President Trump said. "You can't deal with that in three and a half years. I guess it's not going to happen!"

The remarks represent a notable retreat from his previous provocations towards Ottawa.

Throughout the past year, President Trump had repeatedly taunted Justin Trudeau, Canada's former Prime Minister, with claims that Canadians would benefit from reduced taxes and superior military protection under American rule.

He even shared an AI-generated image in January depicting Canada overlaid with the US flag during an Oval Office scene.

When Mr Hardman urged the president to "please leave Canada alone", noting it would "undoubtedly make the King of Canada unhappy", President Trump paused before questioning whether Canadians still acknowledged the monarch as their head of state.

According to Mr Hardman, whose interview with the US President was published in the Mail, Mr Trump asked: “Do they still recognise the King? Or have they stopped that?”

When the royal author confirmed that Canadians recognise the King as their head of state, the US President quipped: "But they have these terrible politicians. They're nice to my face and then they say bad things behind my back."

The President described King Charles as a "fantastic guy", expressing particular admiration for how the monarch has handled his cancer diagnosis.

"He's a great guy and he's grown so much in the last 10 years and especially over the last couple of years as King. His fight has shown that," President Trump remarked.

The interview also touched on his memories of the late Queen, whom President Trump recalled attempting to coax into revealing her preferred presidents and prime ministers.

"So I realised: that's why she lasted 70 years without a complaint because she was so good at it," he reflected. "And I know she liked me because we talked a lot."

The King and Queen are scheduled to visit the United States later this month, with their itinerary including an address to a joint session of Congress and a state banquet hosted at the White House.

The royal couple will spend time in both Washington and New York during the trip.

President Trump has made two state visits to Britain himself, meeting both Elizabeth II and King Charles during those occasions.

Diplomatic sources hope the forthcoming royal visit may help ease strained relations between London and Washington over the ongoing conflict in Iran, with President Trump having voiced strong criticism of Sir Keir Starmer's handling of the Gulf crisis.