Donald Trump has claimed King Charles and Queen Camila convinced him to do something ‘nobody else was able to do’ during the royals’ state visit to the US this week.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have spent the past few days in the US on a four-day state visit, with the trip including a White House state dinner hosted by Donald Trump.
During the visit, Charles also addressed Congress, and the couple later travelled to New York to wrap up the tour with separate engagements.
From the public moments caught on camera, Trump and the King appeared to strike a friendly rapport. After the visit, the president shared further thoughts in a post on Truth Social.
Trade policy has been a major feature of Trump’s second term, and he used the post to announce a change involving Scotland and Kentucky’s cross-border work within the whiskey and bourbon industries.
He said the King and Queen persuaded him ‘to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking’.
He penned: “In honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, who have just left the White House, soon headed back to their wonderful Country, I will be removing the Tariffs and Restrictions on Whiskey having to do with Scotland’s ability to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky on Whiskey and Bourbon, two very important Industries within Scotland and Kentucky.
“People have wanted to do this for a long time, in that there had been great Inter-Country Trade, especially having to do with the Wooden Barrels used.
“The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!”
Trump ended the message by describing it as a ‘great honor’ to host the royals during their time in the US.
Buckingham Palace said Charles ‘sends his sincere gratitude’ following Trump’s U-turn, adding that it ‘will make an important difference to the British whisky industry’.
A palace spokesperson added: “His Majesty will be raising a dram to the President’s thoughtfulness and generous hospitality as he departs the US after a most enjoyable State Visit for both Their Majesties in this special anniversary year.”
Support for the decision also came from the UK’s business and trade secretary, Peter Kyle, who said: “This is great news for our Scotch whisky industry, which is worth almost £1 billion in exports and supports thousands of jobs across the UK.
“I have been advocating for lower tariffs on key exports like whisky to protect vital jobs and iconic British brands while strengthening our relationship with the US.”