Solely Donald Trump might flip royal hospitality right into a backhanded praise. Weeks after eating with King Charles, a brand new clip of the president cracking a sly comment in regards to the monarch has social media questioning—was that shade, or simply Trump being Trump?
Within the clip, Trump casually downplays the king’s day-to-day duties, setting off a wave of reactions on-line, with some calling it peak Trump sarcasm or jealousy.
A clip circulating on-line reveals Trump responding to questions in regards to the nationwide No Kings Day demonstrations on Oct. 18.
The 79-year-old commander-in-chief was making an attempt to distance himself from monarchical comparisons when he declared to reporters, “I’m not a king. I work my a— off to make our nation nice. That’s all it’s. I’m not a king in any respect.” However the web had receipts, and so they weren’t fairly.
The remark landed with a thud on social media, the place customers instantly identified the awkward timing.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: “I am not a king. I work my ass off to make our nation nice.” pic.twitter.com/Bf8xeBZbLC
— Fox Information (@FoxNews) October 20, 2025
Only one month earlier, from Sept. 16 to 18, Trump and First Girl Melania Trump had been company of King Charles III and Queen Camilla throughout an elaborate state go to to the UK. The journey featured unprecedented pageantry, together with the biggest guard of honor in dwelling reminiscence with 120 horses and 1,300 troops, carriage rides, aerial shows, and a state banquet at Windsor Citadel.
One particular person wrote, “Kings don’t work???? That’s a nasty backstab to your good mate Charles!!!”
One other person defined the perceived slight extra instantly: “Some Kings are his pal, he simply says Kings don’t work, so he’s saying one thing dangerous about his pals, ie, backstabbing.”
Some Kings are his pal, he simply saying Kings do not work so he’s saying one thing dangerous about his pals ie backstabbing.
— Matthew(Matt) (@Allusionalley) October 20, 2025
The criticism didn’t cease there, with some referencing a viral clip that the president had shared on his Reality Social platform.
“‘I’m not a king’ says the man who posted an AI video of himself in a crown [dumping] on protesters. What a time to be alive,” one other social media person noticed, referencing a current clip the president had shared on-line after the march.
One other mentioned, “King Charles wouldn’t be standing so near the [T]RUMP if he knew the [T]RUMP’S repute for expelling intestinal windage with fairly an odor. Whew, the stench.”
Many identified that Trump usually shares memes and posts of himself dressed as king with a crown. Nonetheless, one questioned, “Work…? Somebody goes to have to elucidate this so-called ‘work’ he does.”
One other mentioned, “Daring face LIE! He doesn’t even work his [behind] off at “enjoying” golf which is the place he’s at 7 days per week with a babysitter with him.”
Trump posted an AI video of himself sporting a crown and dumping shit from a “King Trump” jet on No Kings protesters.
That is the place we’re as a rustic. pic.twitter.com/rnzUkJ4C4K
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) October 19, 2025
In the course of the state go to, Trump had been effusive in his reward for the British monarch. On the Windsor Citadel banquet, he lauded the “particular relationship” between the US and the UK, calling it “irreplaceable and unbreakable.”
Earlier than the journey, Trump had gushed about his relationship with Charles and Queen Camilla, saying, in accordance to Folks, “They’re pals of mine for a very long time, since earlier than he was king. And it’s an honor to have him as King. I feel he represents the nation so nicely. He’s such a chic gentleman.”
After returning to the U.S., Trump held one other assembly the place he was requested in regards to the gold renovations to the White Home, which he couldn’t cease bragging about. Some folks imagine his response was made out of pure “jealousy.”
One particular person mentioned, “He went to Buckingham Palace and obtained jealous of Charles III, King of Nice Britain having palaces and castles. The White Home paled compared in Trump’s twisted thoughts. So right here we’re.”
The irony wasn’t misplaced on observers that Trump’s protection towards being known as a king got here amid his personal flirtations with royal imagery.
In February 2025, after ending New York Metropolis’s congestion pricing program, he posted on social media: “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” The White Home amplified the message with a computer-generated picture exhibiting Trump sporting a golden crown on a pretend Time journal cowl.
The backlash highlights the fragile stability Trump faces between embracing grandiose symbolism and sustaining democratic credentials, particularly as 1000’s gathered throughout the nation for No Kings Day demonstrations.