Donald Trump is said to have ‘gone cool’ on the UK after King Charles hosted Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Sandringham Estate, with a White House source claiming the President felt overshadowed
Donald Trump reportedly feels ‘less special’ after King Charles hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week.
The US President is said to have ‘gone cool’ on the UK, with insiders claiming images of the King and Zelenskyy together made Trump feel his own state visit invitation to Britain had been overshadowed.
During their recent meeting in the White House, Prime Minister Keir Starmer extended an invitation from the King to Trump for a formal state visit, leading Trump to praise Charles as a “wonderful man”. At the end of the same week, Zelenskyy was warmly received by the king at the Sandringham Estate, just a few hours after he had faced a barrage from Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office.
Trump is said to have reacted badly to photographs of the King and Zelenskyy together, having initially been buoyed by the prospect of an unprecedented second state visit for a sitting US president. An insider from the White House told the MailOnline: “Things definitely went a bit cool in Washington after Sandringham. We told them that the King makes his own decisions about who he meets.”
Number 10 said they “do not recognise” the reports, adding: “We have been unequivocal about the importance of the US as an ally of the UK. No two countries are as closely aligned as ours on economic, defence, security and intelligence interests, and we share deep historic and cultural ties. We will continue to work hand-in-hand and look forward to welcoming President Trump.”
The King’s meeting with Zelenskyy at the palace wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction to the Trump-Zelenskyy incident in the States, Whitehall officials revealed, adding that it was set up in advance. In 2023 the King welcomed Ukraine’s leader, where he offered words of support: “We’ve all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long.”
In other news, following reports of a fallout between Elon Musk and US government officials, Trump has denied allegations of an argument with the SpaceX CEO during a high-level meeting, which reportedly heated up after Musk pointed fingers at Secretary of State Marco Rubio over staffing cuts.
Trump told a journalist on Friday: “No clash, I was there, you’re just a troublemaker. Elon gets along great with Marco and they’re both doing a fantastic job.”