Donald Trump admits he wants to break protocol for King's address to Congress: 'A step too far!'

Svar Nanan-Sen
Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:49:41 +0000

Donald Trump confessed his desire to defy diplomatic protocol by attending King Charles's address to Congress during the ceremonial welcome for the monarch and Queen Camilla at the White House.

The White House military ceremony marked America's highest honour for a visiting head of state.

"He is going to be addressing Congress and I am going to be watching," Trump declared in his remarks.

"I was thinking of going, but they said it might be a step too far. I would love to go; it is not supposed to be protocol, but I would love to be there with you."

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The King's speech to Congress marks only the second occasion a British sovereign has addressed a joint meeting, following Queen Elizabeth II's 1991 Capitol address during her state visit.

Donald Trump lavished praise upon the monarch, describing him as "a very elegant man" and predicting his congressional address would leave audiences envious of "that beautiful accent".

The president spoke warmly of "the noble spirit of the British" whilst drawing connections between American and British history.

"The American founding was the culmination of hundreds of years of thought, struggle, sweat, blood and sacrifice on both sides of the Atlantic," he stated.

The US president described hosting the King and Queen as "a tremendous privilege" and characterised the royal visit as "a living symbol of this centuries-old bond" between the two nations.

Donald Trump paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, whom he called "a very special woman" and "an incredible woman who I had the privilege of getting to know".

The US President noted that the Queen remains "very greatly missed on both sides of that mighty Atlantic".

Standing on the South Lawn, President Trump gestured towards a tree planted by the late monarch during a previous visit.

"Just a few dozen feet to the left where I stand, there her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, an incredible woman who I had the privilege of getting to know," he said.

"Queen Elizabeth II, a very, very special woman, who is very greatly missed on both sides of that mighty Atlantic, long ago planted a young tree. It was a very young and beautiful tree and look at it now."

President Trump also shared a personal anecdote about his late mother's fondness for the Royal Family, revealing she harboured a "crush" on the King in his younger years.

"My mother, I just see it so clearly, I told the King that she loved the Royal Family and she loved the Queen, and any time the Queen was involved in the ceremony or anything, my mother would be glued to the television, and she'd say 'look, Donald, look how beautiful that is'," President Trump recounted.

The US President continued: "She really did love the family, but I also remember her saying very clearly, 'Charles, look young Charles, he's so cute'. My mother had a crush on Charles.

"Can you believe it? It's amazing how I wonder what she's thinking right now?"

Donald Trump and King Charles warmly shook hands following the conclusion of his remarks outside the White House.