BREAKING NEWS: ‘May God bless the Queen, may she reign forever in our hearts’: Trump and Melania say they are ‘deeply saddened’ at loss of her Her Majesty and will ‘never forget her generous wisdom, friendship and sense of humor’
- Donald Trump released a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday afternoon
- ‘May God bless the Queen, may she reign forever in our hearts,’ he said
- They met twice during Trump’s time in office and he said they got along well
- For all his anti-establishment rhetoric and outsider credentials, he made much of his Scottish-born mother’s love of the Royal Family
- He said the Queen’s reign ‘left a tremendous legacy of peace and prosperity’
- Full coverage: Click here to see all our coverage of the Queen’s passing
Former President Donald Trump paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, minutes after Buckingham Palace announced her death at the age of 96.
‘Melania and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,’ he said via his TruthSocial media platform.
‘Together with our family and fellow Americans, we send our sincere condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom during this time of great sorrow and grief.
‘Queen Elizabeth’s historic and remarkable reign left a tremendous legacy of peace and prosperity for Great Britain.’
Trump met the Queen twice as president, first at Windsor Castle for tea in 2018 and then during a full state visit the following year.
‘May God bless the Queen, may she reign forever in our hearts,’ he ended.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania were welcomed for a full state visit by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019. It was Trump’s second visit to the UK as president
President Donald Trump with Queen Elizabeth II after praising her as a ‘great, great woman’ during a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2019
Trump used his Truth Social platform to deliver his tribute on Thursday afternoon
Trump’s visits were accompanied by widespread protests in the UK.
British lawmakers refused him an opportunity to address Parliament during his first visit and the trip was downgraded in status.
Coverage of the visits included critics who claimed he had breached protocol by walking ahead of the Queen as they inspected an honor guard during their first meeting.
And they even chastised him for clinking glasses at the state banquet during his second trip.
But for all Trump’s anti-establishment rhetoric and protocol-busting behavior, he also craved the approval of global figures such as the Queen.
His first visit triggered controversy when he inspected the Guard of Honor with the Queen, and managed to walk ahead of her, prompting her to gently steer him aside
He spoke often of the way his Scottish-born mother loved the Royals and the Queen in particular.
And he made clear that the two visits to the United Kingdom were among the highlights of his time as president.
After his first meeting, when he inspected the guard and took tea with the monarch, he said they had got along famously.
‘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,’ he said.
‘Because we got along. And she liked our first lady and our first lady liked her.
‘But we got along fantastically well. But the time went by – you know, sometimes you get along and the time goes by.’
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