‘Subtle rebuttals’: what the papers say about King Charles and Trump

King Charles’s address to the US Congress features on the front pages and websites of many publications on both sides of the Atlantic today. We take a look at how the king’s speech has been interpreted by the UK and US media.

New York Times

Online, Michael D Shear, the NYT’s chief UK correspondent, and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House reporter, underline what some have seen as warnings in the speech to members of the US Congress.

Under the headline “Beneath King Charles’s Jokes and Decorum, Some Subtle Rebuttals to Trump”, Shear and Kanno-Youngs say the king “gently” pushed back against Donald Trump’s attacks on Britain and Nato and “spoke of the importance of checks and balances”.

The coverage on the front page of the newspaper’s print edition is more understated, with an image of Charles in Congress and the headline: “Bipartisan Welcome for a Sovereign”.

Photograph: NYT

Washington Post

Online and on its print front page, the WashPo focuses on the arguably barbed moments of Charles’s speech.

“King Charles urges checks on executive power as Trump hosts royal visit,” reads the paper’s headline online, with a similar missive in print.

“In a speech to Congress, the monarch avoided naming the president but highlighted democratic norms, Ukraine and western unity,” the publication says.

“King Charles III urged Americans and Britons to draw on their shared heritage to defend democratic values, including checks on executive power, as he exhorted US lawmakers to address global problems collectively in an era of unusually sharp divisions.”

Photograph: Washington Post

Los Angeles Times

Likewise, the LA Times focuses on the more pointed references in Charles’s speech rather than the jokes and pleasantries he offered.

“In US, Charles stresses climate, alliances,” reads the headline on its print front page. “Prince urges Congress to back Ukraine, Nato, says American words, actions matter.”

Photograph: Los Angeles Times

New York Post

The tabloid New York Post has a more light-hearted, though not unprovocative, front page for its print edition, which features an image of Charles and Trump under the headline: “Kings of the Hill”.

The headline alludes to the criticism, into which Trump frequently leans, that the US president behaves more like an unelected head of state than a representative of all peoples. An anti-Trump movement known as the No Kings protest has staged demonstrations across the country.

In fact, the White House X account earlier in the day posted an image of the two men with the words “Two Kings”, no doubt an attempt to aggravate the president’s detractors.

Photograph: New York Post

The Daily Telegraph

In the UK, the papers are all heavily focused on the pointed references to the strained relations between the UK and US and some of the controversial aspects of Trump’s second term.

The Daily Telegraph has the headline “King defends Nato in historic Congress address” as Trump continues his threats to pull the US out of Nato and his questioning of allies’ commitment to the US over their refusal to become embroiled in the increasingly disastrous offensive in Iran.

Photograph: Daily Telegraph

i

The i newspaper focuses on Charles’s attempts to build bridges between the UK and US after a period of tumult.

“King tells Congress: America and the UK must reconcile,” the headline reads. Trump has insulted Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, as “no Churchill” and threatened the UK with trade tariffs.

Photograph: The i Paper

The Times

Likewise, under the headline “King and Trump forge a very special relationship”, with an image of the two seated men laughing side by side in the Oval Office, the Times leads with Charles’s efforts to heal relations between the two nations.

Photograph: The Times

Daily Mail

The Mail hails the king’s skills as a diplomat on its front page by giving a speech that was full of praise and celebration for the American people and their history, while subtly urging the US not to turn its back on allies.

“King delivers a diplomatic masterclass and urges Trump not to abandon Nato,” the newspaper front page headline states above an image of Charles in Congress and a separate picture of Melania Trump, the first lady, and Queen Camilla.

Photograph: Daily Mail