- Donald Trump has called Duchess Meghan Markle ‘Nasty’ ahead of his trip to the UK this week
- The remarks came after The President was shown comments Markle made about Trump in 2016
- The Duchess of Sussex said that Trump’s politics were “divisive”
Donald Trump’s trip to the UK was never going to be an entirely comfortable one. He’s widely loathed in the country, and only 21 percent of Brits hold a positive opinion of him.
The nation is still in the midst of the long-running crisis that is Brexit, and after Prime Minister Theresa May’s resignation, will soon see its second PM in three years. And to top it all off, Trump decided to mouth off about his host country’s royals just days before his state visit commences. In an interview with The Sun, President Trump called Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle “nasty.”
During the interview, a Sun reporter raised comments Markle made about Trump in 2016. She’d described him as “misogynistic” and deemed his politics “divisive,” which is no worse than what his good golf buddy Lindsey Graham said during the election. But when told of Markle’s remarks, Trump replied, “I didn’t know that she was nasty.” He seemed quick to forgive the Duchess, however, later saying he “thinks it’s nice” to have an American princess and that he’s “sure she will do excellently.”
Trump’s three-day state visit commences on June 3rd, and his itinerary includes attending a meeting with departing Prime Minister May and a D-Day celebration. Though Trump isn’t scheduled to meet with Markle herself as she’s still on maternity leave after giving birth earlier this month, he will meet with other prominent royals, inducing Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince William and Duchess Kate, and Markle’s husband, Prince Harry.
In the Sun interview, Trump also broke with the convention against foreign leaders taking sides in allied nations’ internal political fights. He backed Brexiteer Boris Johnson, former Mayor of London and UK Foreign Minister, to replace May as Prime minister.
Ahead of the latest visit, London mayor Sadiq Khan, with whom Trump has publicly feuded, said that the US president shouldn’t be awarded the pomp of a state visit. And Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has declined his invitation to Trump’s state dinner next week.
“Theresa May should not be rolling out the red carpet for a state visit to honour a president who rips up vital international treaties,” said Corbyn, “backs climate change denial and uses racist and misogynist rhetoric.”
