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Trump reacts to Queen Elizabeth’s death: ‘There was nobody like her!’

Former president releases statement on ‘Truth Social’ platform

John Bowden
Washington DC
Thursday 08 September 2022 19:58 BST
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The Queen comments on international institutions and order while addressing President Donald Trump
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Donald Trump “truthed” his reaction to Queen Elizabeth II’s passing on Thursday, minutes after the news was announced by Buckingham Palace.

The former president, who met the Queen in 2019, commented on the Queen’s “generous friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humor”, adding that she was a “beautiful lady”.

“Melania and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. 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,” he wrote in a series of “truths”.

The former president continued: “Melania and I will always cherish our time together with the Queen, and never forget Her Majesty’s generous friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humor. What a grand and beautiful lady she was—there was nobody like her!”

The Queen extended an invitation to Mr Trump and his wife for a state visit, which they attended, in 2019 but was seen by some as pointing out an ideological difference between Mr Trump and the UK’s leaders during her toast to the US-UK relationship at a dinner.

“After the shared sacrifices of the Second World War, Britain and the United States worked with other allies to build an assembly of international institutions, to ensure that the horrors of conflict would never be repeated,” the queen said at the time, referring to institutions like Nato, which Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised. “While the world has changed, we are forever mindful of the original purpose of these structures: nations working together to safeguard a hard-won peace.”

The former president has a much tenser relationship with Harry and Meghan Windsor, the Queen’s grandson and granddaughter-in-law. He has called the prince “whipped like no person I think I’ve ever seen”.

“I think it’s sad. I really do,” Mr Trump said of the pair’s relationship with the Queen in 2020. “She’s a great woman.”

“She’s never made a mistake if you look. She’s had, like, a flawless time,” he added at the time. “I just have such respect for the queen. I don’t think this should be happening to her.”

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