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By Hugh Cameron and Toby Meyjes
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An edited video posted to President Donald Trump's Truth Social account shows King Charles III speaking to a grocery store employee moments before the clerk collapsed, wrongly suggesting the British monarch ignored him.
The clip was part of a montage posted to the president's account on Labor Day that appears to portray world leaders as disrespectful or lacking compassion compared with Trump, who is shown shaking hands, honoring fallen soldiers and hugging veterans.
The edited video of Charles is from July 2020, when the then-Prince of Wales visited an Asda grocery store distribution center in Bristol, England, with the Duchess of Cornwall, now Queen Camilla. A longer version of the same clip shows Charles showing concern for the employee and standing by his side as others rush to help him.
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Trump has frequently spoken of his good relationship with King Charles and praised him this week as "amazing" and a "fantastic guy." It is unclear whether he knew what the edited footage implied.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment when contacted by Newsweek.
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What Did Trump’s Video Show?
Trump's video aimed to contrast the president’s behavior with that of other world leaders. Along with Charles, the three-minute montage features French President Emmanuel Macron and former U.S. presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama acting in ways clearly intended to be seen as disrespectful.
This is followed by over two minutes of Trump shaking hands with and saluting soldiers, taking part in commemoration ceremonies, greeting supporters and meeting with celebrities including Russian former professional martial artist Khabib Nurmagomedov and social media personality-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
In contrast to Trump’s video, the full footage of the encounter involving King Charles, which circulated widely in the media at the time, shows Charles reaching out as the man falls and staying by his side as other workers and event organizers tended to him.
The clip posted on Monday excludes this aspect, as well as later footage of the man speaking and laughing with Charles after recovering from the fall.
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Trump and Charles’ Relationship
Despite their differing worldviews and positions on key topics—notably climate change—the two heads of state have enjoyed a largely cordial public relationship.
Trump has consistently voiced his admiration for the British monarchy, often pointed to as a stabilizing force for the “special relationship” during recent periods of political disharmony between Washington and London.
The president called Charles “a great king,” a “great friend,” and "fantastic" during the latter’s visit to the White House in April. This four-day state visit with Queen Camilla marked Charles’ first trip to the country as king, and was the first U.S. state trip undertaken by a reigning monarch since 2007.
Charles hosted Trump and other U.S. officials during a visit to the United Kingdom last September and used his opening remarks at a banquet at Windsor Castle to tout the promise of the two nations’ “special relationship.”
“Today, our alliance spans every field of endeavor and shows vast potential for growth,” Charles said. "The United Kingdom was your partner in the first trade deal of your administration, Mr. President, bringing jobs and growth to both our countries. And no doubt we can go even further as we build this new era of our partnership."
Trump followed this up by telling attendees that “the bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal. It's irreplaceable and unbreakable.”
Charles made a joke at Trump’s expense in April, however. Referring to the president’s past suggestion that, absent American intervention in World War II, European nations would be speaking German, Charles responded: "Dare I say that, if it wasn't for us, you'd be speaking French."
The king’s address to Congress during the same visit also contained several apparent references to contemporary American politics and aspects of the president’s agenda, including NATO’s support for the U.S. in the aftermath of 9/11 and the “unyielding resolve…needed for the defense of Ukraine.”
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Sam Wilson.
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