Donald Trump Claims Queen Elizabeth Was ‘Late’ To Official Meeting
A new statement by Donald Trump, made at a Pennsylvania rally, claims that he did not keep Queen Elizabeth waiting during his first official visit to Great Britain. Trump claims, in fact, it was the reigning monarch who was late.
Reports that Trump kept the queen waiting to meet him also circulated as footage of the 92-year-old monarch checking her watch ahead of their meeting was shared online, according to The Washington Post.
The Daily Mail alleged that Trump broke royal protocol by making the monarch wait in the heat for him to show up for their scheduled meeting.
In retaliation, fans of the royals took to Twitter to denounce Trump’s actions.
Trump is tardy. Queen checks watch.
Queen: Where is that nitwit?#QueenElizabeth #TrumpUK #TrumpVisitUK pic.twitter.com/O0RxGxZLBe— NAFTA Posterchild (@RobsterInATX) July 13, 2018
Oh dear, she just looked at her watch. The Queen does NOT like tardiness. pic.twitter.com/b0GXBV9oWt
— Patricia Treble (@PatriciaTreble) July 13, 2018
“Queen Elizabeth II is there. But where is the guest? Yeah, still in his helicopter, leaving the 92-year-old monarch to wait, and wait,” said another Twitter user.
Trump then appeared to break royal protocol again by walking slightly ahead of the queen as they inspected her honor guard when the monarch then gestured to Trump and appeared to direct him forward, according to The New York Times. The paper reported Trump then walked in front of Queen Elizabeth and then stopped, which cut off her path and forced her to sidestep around him.
Many Britons were unhappy with Trump’s planned visit with Queen Elizabeth. They marked the occasion with protests and the use of a giant, orange inflatable baby that was meant to mock the President of the United States.
During a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump called the reports that he kept the queen waiting “fake, fake disgusting news” and stated the meeting was a “beautiful visit and afternoon” according to The Washington Post.
“I was asked to have tea with the queen, who is incredible by the way, incredible. I had landed and I’m on the ground and I’m waiting with the king’s and with the queen’s guards — wonderful people,” he continued.
“I’m waiting! I was about 15 minutes early and I’m waiting with my wife, and that’s fine. Hey, it’s the queen, right? We can wait. But I’m a little early.”
Trump Walks in Front of Queen Elizabeth, Causing Social Media Frenzy https://t.co/22TQkfSosk
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 14, 2018
“So, I then go up and meet the queen, and she is fantastic. We then go up and we have tea. And I didn’t know this — it was supposed to last 15 minutes, but it lasted like an hour. Because we got along. And she liked our first lady and our first lady liked her,” he explained.
Trump concluded with the following statement, clearly meant to appeal to his supporters.
“Here was the story by the fake news: The president was 15 minutes late for the queen…. Wrong!”
