US President Donald Trump has expressed optimism that King Charles and Queen Camilla's upcoming state visit to the United States could help repair strained relations between the two countries.
In a phone interview with the BBC, Trump stated: "Absolutely. He's fantastic. He's a fantastic man. Absolutely the answer is yes." Referring to the King, he added: "I know him well, I've known him for years. He's a brave man, and he's a great man. They would absolutely be a positive."
The King and Queen are scheduled for a four-day visit starting Monday, which will include a meeting with Trump at the White House, a private meeting with the president, and an address to Congress. Following their stay in Washington DC, they will travel to New York, Virginia, and Bermuda before returning to the UK. The Foreign Office noted the trip marks the 250th anniversary of US independence and celebrates a partnership of "shared prosperity, security and history."
Trump also addressed his relationship with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, suggesting Starmer could "recover" only if he changed his approach on immigration and opened the North Sea for oil and gas extraction. "If he opened the North Sea and if his immigration policies became strong, which right now they're not, he can recover, but if he doesn't, I don't think he has a chance," Trump said.
Sir Keir responded, stating, "I make my decisions based on what's in the British national interest and not what other people say or do." He reiterated his stance on the Iran conflict, saying, "We would not be dragged into the war in Iran. I'm not going to be diverted or deflected from that by what anybody else says."
When asked about his calls for allies to join the Iran war, Trump claimed he did not need their help but saw their support as a test. "I didn't need them at all but they should've been there. I didn't need them, obviously," he said. "We've wiped Iran's military out. I didn't need anybody."
On his threat that "a whole civilisation will die tonight" unless Iran agreed to a deal, Trump declined to clarify whether it involved nuclear weapons, stating, "The other side is dying to make a deal. So whatever I'm saying or whatever I'm doing, it seems to be working very well."
Towards the end of the interview, Trump referenced his multi-billion dollar defamation lawsuit against the BBC over a Panorama documentary edit. He warned the BBC to be "very careful" or risk destroying its reputation. The BBC has apologized for the edit but denies the defamation claim, filing to dismiss the lawsuit. A BBC spokesperson reiterated, "We have said throughout we will robustly defend the case against us."
This article is based on information from BBC News.