Biodun.BBC: Donald Trump 'not aware' of any royal wedding invite

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Donald Trump 'not aware' of any royal wedding invite

by Melissa Gruz and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Washington DC

Donald Trump has said he is not aware of any invitation to attend Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding.

Asked whether he had received an invite for the 19 May wedding, the US president said "not that I know of".

American actress Ms Markle was a Hillary Clinton supporter in the 2016 US election, and has referred to Mr Trump as "divisive" and a "misogynist".

In an interview with Piers Morgan for ITV, Mr Trump said Prince Harry and Ms Markle looked "like a lovely couple".

When asked if he would like to attend the wedding at Windsor Castle, the president said: "I want them to be happy, I really want them to be happy.

"They look like a lovely couple."

Prince Harry and Ms Markle will get married in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. It holds about 800 people, making it a more intimate setting than the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in Westminster Abbey.

The interview with Morgan was conducted while the president attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he also had a meeting with the UK prime minister.

Morgan tweeted that Mr Trump had told him he had been offered two visits to UK this year by Theresa May - a working visit in the summer and a state visit in the autumn.

But Downing Street has not confirmed the claim.

May not 'tough' enough

Mr Trump also said he would have negotiated Brexit with a "tougher" attitude to Mrs May.

In extracts released to the Mail on Sunday, Morgan asked Mr Trump if Mrs May was in a "good position" in Brexit talks.

The president said: "Would it be the way I negotiate? No, I wouldn't negotiate it the way it's (being) negotiated... I would have had a different attitude."

He went on: "I would have taken a tougher stand in getting out."

During the interview, Morgan pressed Mr Trump on his social media habit.

He said he would often tweet "perhaps sometimes in bed, and perhaps sometimes at breakfast, or lunch, or whatever", but added he would also delegate some of his tweeting to someone else.

In a previously released section of the interview, Mr Trump said he was prepared to apologise for retweeting posts from far-right group Britain First.

"If you are telling me they're horrible people, horrible, racist people, I would certainly apologise if you'd like me to do that," he said.

In a wide-ranging discussion, Mr Trump also offered hope that the US could rejoin the Paris Accord on climate change.

He said: "Yeah, I'd go back in... I would love to, but it's got to be a good deal for the United States."