President Donald Trump was given one of Melania Trump’s trademark frosty death stares after he joked about the longevity of their marriage in front of King Charles.
A welcome ceremony for the British monarch took a slightly awkward turn on Tuesday after the president recounted the story of his parents, Fred and Mary Anne, and compared their marriage to his own.
“She came to America at 19 and met my incredible father. We loved him so much. We all loved him. And we loved her. They were married for 63 years,” Trump said before turning around to look at the first lady behind him.
“And excuse me, if you don’t mind, that’s a record we won’t be able to match, darling. I’m sorry, it’s just not going to work out that way.”
Melania Trump did not look impressed as her 79-year-old husband told his joke, which came one day after she and the president demanded the sacking of TV host Jimmy Kimmel for joking that she had “a glow like an expected widow.”
But the first lady, dressed impeccably in a white silk-and-wool jacket and skirt by Ralph Lauren, Manolo Blahnik snake pumps and a wide straw hat, eventually managed to force a smile as the crowd laughed.
Melania Knauss, as she was known then, met Trump at a New York fashion week party in 1998 and married him at a Mar-a-Lago ceremony in 2005.
She was his third wife after Ivana Trump (who Trump married in 1977 and is the mother of Ivanka, Don Jr and Eric) and Marla Maples (who married Trump in 1993 and is the mother of Tiffany Trump).
The president’s fleeting moment of marital humor landed during the second day of a state visit by the king and Queen Camilla.
After a brief patch of rain, which Trump described as a “very British welcome”, the royals were treated to a ceremony known as “reviewing the troops,” the highest diplomatic honor that the White House can extend to a visiting head of state.
The pomp-filled ceremony featured a military parade, a 21-gun salute, and a jet flyover.
Seated in the front row under black umbrellas were some of Trump’s top officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo were also spotted in the crowd.
But the visit, 250 years after America declared independence from England, also comes during a time of tension between the two countries.
Trump has repeatedly criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his stance on the Iran war, accusing him of not assisting Washington to fight the regime or reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The king has also been an active supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia, while the U.S. has reduced its support for the country while pivoting more towards Moscow and its autocratic President Vladimir Putin.
The controversy surrounding sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein is also an issue, with Trump repeatedly describing the matter as a hoax while Charles has openly addressed the scrutiny surrounding his brother, former Epstein associate Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Despite concerns about Trump’s tendency to ramble and go off script, the 79-year-old president managed to stick to his brief remarks on Tuesday, praising the two countries’ shared history.
Speaking two days after another apparent assassination attempt on his life, a somewhat upbeat Trump declared that “Americans have no closer friends than the British.”
The president also complimented King Charles’ “beautiful accent” and revealed how his mother once had a crush on him.
“Any time the Queen was involved in a ceremony or anything, my mother would be glued to the television,” Trump recalled.
“She really did love the family, but I also remember her saying very clearly: ‘Look at young Charles. He’s so cute.’”
After holding a meeting with Trump off-camera, Charles will later address a bipartisan session of the U.S. Congress, followed by a state banquet at the White House on Tuesday evening.
He is expected to use his speech to Congress to call for “reconciliation and renewal” following strained relations between the U.S. and the UK.
“Time and again our two countries have always found ways to come together,” he is expected to say.
According to Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, the King is also expected to briefly acknowledge Epstein’s victims in his speech after declining calls to meet with survivors personally.
