Trump steps back from repeated threats as King Charles heads to US
US President Donald Trump has sparked a new debate with his latest statement about Canada and King Charles’ status ahead of the British monarch’s much-anticipated trip to the US.
Trump left people in surprise with his question, asking if Canada has ‘stopped’ recognising King Charles as their head of state, while also confirming he will not pursue an invasion of the country.
The 79-year-old appears 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.
He continued: “You can’t deal with that in three and a half years. I guess it’s not going to happen!”
The latest claims represent a notable retreat from his previous provocations towards Ottawa as he 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.
After his threats, the President even shared an AI-generated image in January depicting Canada overlaid with the US flag during an Oval Office scene.
When Hardman urged the president to “please leave Canada alone”, noting it would “undoubtedly make the King of Canada unhappy.”
According to Hardman, whose interview with the US President was published in the Mail, 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 King, 77, and his wife Queen Camilla, 78, have announce that they will 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.
