US President Donald Trump has expressed shock at comments Meghan Markle made about him during his 2016 Presidential campaign.
The US President branded her words ‘nasty’ in a move that is unlikely to go down well ahead of his UK state visit next week. The Duchess of Sussex once called Mr Trump ‘misogynistic’ and ‘divisive’ before backing his rival Hillary Clinton for the top job.
She also hinted she would leave the States if Mr Trump won, adding ‘you don’t want to live in the kind of world that he is painting.’ In a new interview, the US leader said: ‘I didn’t know that. What can I say? I didn’t know that she was nasty.’ Mr Trump will be meeting Meghan’s husband Prince Harry as well as the Queen, Prince Charles, William and Kate during his trip, which begins on Monday.
Meghan will not be present as officially she is on maternity leave following the birth of Archie last month.
However, Prince Harry has been conducting several engagements during his paternity leave. Sources said the Duchess’s absence was to avoid a potentially awkward clash with the President.
Meghan made her criticism during a 2016 interview on US talk show, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. She said: ‘We film Suits in Toronto and I might just stay in Canada. Yes, of course, Trump is divisive, think about female voters alone. I think it was in 2012 the Republican party lost the female vote by 12 points. That is a huge number and with as misogynistic as Trump is, and so vocal about it, that is a huge chunk of it. You’re not just voting for a woman if it’s Hillary. Yes you’re voting because she’s a woman, but certainly Trump has made it easy to see that you don’t really want that kind of world that he’s painting.’
Trump is usually extremely vocal against his critics but after his initial ‘nasty’ comment, he appeared to do a U-turn. He then heaped praise on Meghan, saying she would make ‘a very good American Princess.’
Of the LA-born royal, he said: ‘It is nice, and I am sure she will do excellently. She will be very good. I hope she does (succeed).’ He said he did not realise they would not meet, adding: ‘I hope she’s OK.’ The royal family traditionally do not offer political views, although Prince Charles has been very outspoken in the past about climate change.
Mr Trump pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement after he was elected leader and the two men are likely to lock horns.
During the interview, Mr Trump said: ‘I like Charles. I think that’s very good. We will be talking. I can say we have among the cleanest climate in the world right now.’
Photo Credit: Getty
