Trump insists King Charles 'would have stood by him' on war with Iran
The President said the monarch is not to blame for the so-called breakdown in "special relationship" between the US and UK
Donald Trump has insisted King Charles would have "stood by" him over the decision to spark a war with Iran and claims the monarch will have disagreed with the Prime Minister's reluctance to involve the UK.
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The President suggested the King would have taken a "different stand" from Sir Keir Starmer, and praised him as a "great representative" for the UK.
The comments came on the same day Trump ramped up threats to leave NATO, who he called a "paper tiger" in another verbal attack on the alliance.
He told The Telegraph: "I like him. I always liked him as a prince. He's a good man, a great representative for your country.
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"I think he would have taken a very different stand [on the war] but he doesn’t do that. I mean, he’s a great gentleman."
He added: "I have a great relationship with King Charles, I’ve known him a long time. He's a wonderful and brave man, to be honest with you. He’s been through a lot, in many ways."
The UK has resisted pressure from the White House to get involved in the Middle East, with the Prime Minister insisting "it's not our war."
But the simmering tensions have led Trump to claim the "special relationship" between the nations has been damaged, but Trump told the newspaper that the King was a "friend of mine" and that he had "nothing to do with this."
The White House is due to welcome the King and Queen later this month which Trump hailed as a"momentous occasion."
Trump also ramped up threats to leave NATO on Wednesday, who he called a "paper tiger."
Asked if he was thinking about pulling out of the alliance on Wednesday, the President told Reuters: "Oh, absolutely without question. Wouldn't you do that if you were me?
In the same interview with The Telegraph earlier today, Trump slammed his allies' response to the war he launched on Iran without their support.
"I would say [withdrawing] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by NATO," he told The Telegraph.
"I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way."
Despite hinting he wants to wind down the war in the Middle East, Trump's claims of a potential ceasefire being discussed were shut down by Iran on Wednesday.
He also took to social media to claim Tehran's "less radicalised and far more intelligent" new leaders had asked the US for a ceasefire.
But hitting back hours later, its foreign ministry dismissed the claims as "false and baseless."
Sources told the publication that Trump has long been an admirer of the Royal family, stemming from his respect for the late Queen Elizabeth II.
It is believed that the President and His Majesty were in regular correspondence, often writing letters to each other.