## Summary of Donald Trump's State Banquet Speech in the UK **News Title/Type:** Full text: Donald Trump’s state banquet speech **Report Provider:** The Spectator **Author:** Donald Trump **Date of Publication:** September 18, 2025 ### Overview This article presents the full text of a speech delivered by Donald Trump during his second state visit to Britain. The speech was given at a state banquet hosted by His Majesty King Charles III at Windsor Castle. Trump expresses his honor at being the first American president welcomed to the UK in this capacity and praises King Charles III for his dedication to preserving British heritage and supporting his people. He also commends the "special relationship" between the United States and the United Kingdom, emphasizing their shared history, culture, and destiny. ### Key Points and Interpretations * **Honor and Privilege:** Trump repeatedly emphasizes the singular privilege of being the first American president welcomed to the UK in this manner and considers it one of the highest honors of his life. He notes that this was the second state visit, expressing a hope that it might be the last of its kind. * **Praise for King Charles III:** * Trump describes King Charles III as having epitomized "fortitude, nobility, and the spirit of the British monarchy and the British people" for many decades. * He highlights the King's dedication to: * Preserving the "glory and unique character of this kingdom." * Restoring life to rivers and streams. * Supporting artists and composers. * Planting trees and gardens, noting he visited one of the most beautiful gardens recently completed by the King. * Protecting the architectural integrity of cities, villages, and towns. * Uplifting the poor, caring for rural farmers, and tending to wounded veterans. * Trump recounts being impressed by the King's ability to know and recall details about approximately **150** individuals he met, including those with unusual company names. * He quotes a 1993 letter from the King, stating his motivation was a "desperate desire to put the great back into Great Britain." * **Praise for the Royal Family:** * Trump acknowledges King Charles III for raising a "remarkable son," His Royal Highness, Prince of Wales (Prince William), predicting his future success. * He expresses delight in visiting with Prince William again and seeing Her Royal Highness Princess Catherine (Kate Middleton) looking "radiant and so healthy and so beautiful." * **British Heritage and Achievements:** * Trump extols the virtues of the English language, noting that **a fifth** of humanity speaks, writes, thinks, and prays in it, and credits British authors like Shakespeare, Dickens, Tolkien, Lewis, Orwell, and Kipling. * He lists significant historical achievements of the British people, including: * Defeating Napoleon. * Unleashing the Industrial Revolution. * Destroying slavery. * Defending civilization against fascism and communism. * Giving the world the Magna Carta, modern parliament, and Francis Bacon’s scientific method. * Contributing the works of Locke, Hobbes, Smith, Burke, Newton, and Blackstone. * He asserts that the legal, intellectual, cultural, and political traditions of the UK are among the "highest achievements of mankind." * **The British Empire and the "Special Relationship":** * Trump states that the British Empire laid the foundations of "law, liberty, free speech and individual rights" virtually everywhere the Union Jack has ever flown, including America. * He references Sir Winston Churchill's coining of the phrase "special relationship" and argues that from an American perspective, "special" does not begin to do it justice. * He describes the bond as being joined by "history and fate, by love and language and by transcendent ties of culture, tradition, ancestry and destiny," likening the US and UK to "two notes in one chord or two verses of the same poem." * He declares the bond of kinship and identity between America and the UK to be "priceless and eternal," "irreplaceable and unbreakable." * **American Progress:** * Trump claims that the United States is "doing unbelievably well" and was a "very sick country **one year ago**," but is now the "hottest country anywhere in the world." He attributes some of this success to the foundation laid by the UK. * **Call to Action:** * Trump calls for the US and UK to defend their "exceptional heritage" and continue to stand for the values and people of the English-speaking world. * **Toast:** * The speech concludes with a toast to "one of the great friendships, to two great countries, and to His Majesty King Charles the Third. A very, very special man. And also a very, very special queen." ### Numerical Data and Context * **"second state visit"**: This indicates that this event is not the first time a US President has been formally welcomed by the British monarchy in this manner. Trump's previous visit in June 2019 was also a state visit. * **"about 150 hands"**: This refers to the number of people Trump shook hands with, illustrating the scale of the reception and his observation of the King's personal engagement. * **"a fifth of all of humanity"**: This statistic refers to the proportion of the world's population that speaks, writes, thinks, and prays in the English language, highlighting the global reach and influence of the language originating from the British Isles. * **"one year ago"**: This timeframe is used by Trump to contrast the perceived state of the US economy and national standing before his current administration's policies. ### Notable Risks or Concerns While the speech is largely celebratory and focused on positive bilateral relations, the statement "And if you think about it, it’s a lot of presidents, and this was the second state visit – and that’s a first and maybe that’s going to be the last time. I hope it is actually" could be interpreted as a subtle jab at the frequency or nature of such visits, or perhaps a reflection of his personal approach to diplomacy. ### Material Financial Data No specific financial data or metrics were presented in this speech. The focus was on historical, cultural, and diplomatic ties.
Full text: Donald Trump’s state banquet speech
Read original at The Spectator →It’s a singular privilege to be the first American president welcomed here. And if you think about it, it’s a lot of presidents, and this was the second state visit – and that’s a first and maybe that’s going to be the last time. I hope it is actually. But this is truly one of the highest honours of my life.
Such respect for you and such respect for your country. For many decades, His Majesty the King has epitomised the fortitude, nobility, and the spirit of the British monarchy and the British people. He’s dedicated himself to preserving the glory and unique character of this kingdom, restoring life to the rivers and streams, supporting the works of its artists and composers, planting trees and gardens in its countryside.
And I just visited one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen that you just completed, and protecting the architectural integrity of cities, villages and towns. He has uplifted the poor, cared for rural farmers and tended to wounded veterans like nobody else. I’ll tell you that I just stood in line and shook about 150 hands, and the King knew every single person and every single company, and some of them had bad names like ‘x, y, z, q, three’ – and he knew every one of them, or at least I think he did, because nobody was complaining.
I was very impressed with that. But I just want to say that His Majesty has also raised a remarkable son in His Royal Highness, Prince of Wales. Really amazing. We’ve gotten to know you, and I think you’re going to have an unbelievable success in future. Melania and I are delighted to visit again with Prince William and to see Her Royal Highness Princess Catherine so radiant and so healthy and so beautiful.
It’s really a great honor. Thank you. Most popular Borrowing is spiralling out of control Many years ago, His Majesty opened his archives to a biographer. Among the documents was a letter from 1993, in which he described the patriotism that guided his many projects. He wrote that he was, quote, ‘entirely motivated by a desperate desire to put the great back into Great Britain’.
In the finest tradition of British sovereigns, he has given his whole heart, everything he has got to those parts of Britain that are beyond the realm of mere legislation. It’s not easy, but which defines its essence and its virtue, its harmony and its soul. It’s an amazing calling, and there’s nobody that’s answered that calling like you have.
A fifth of all of humanity speaks, writes, thinks and prays in the language born on these isles and perfected in the pages of Shakespeare and Dickens and Tolkien and Lewis, Orwell and Kipling. Incredible people. Unbelievable people like we have rarely seen before – probably won’t see again. The lion-hearted people of this kingdom defeated Napoleon, unleashed the Industrial Revolution, destroyed slavery, and defended civilisation in the darkest days of fascism and communism, the British gave the world the Magna Carta, the modern parliament, and Francis Bacon’s scientific method.
They gave us the works of Locke and Hobbes, Smith and Burke, Newton and Blackstone. The legal, intellectual, cultural and political traditions of this kingdom have been among the highest achievements of mankind; there has really never been anything like it. The British Empire laid the foundations of law, liberty, free speech and individual rights virtually everywhere the Union Jack has ever flown, including a place called America.
You know that place very well, don’t you? His Majesty spoke eloquently about the bond which inspired Sir Winston Churchill – and the bust is in the Oval Office right now, the beautiful bust of Winston Churchill – to coin the phrase ‘special relationship’. But seen from American eyes, the word ‘special’ does not begin to do it justice.
We’re joined by history and fate, by love and language and by transcendent ties of culture, tradition, ancestry and destiny. We’re like two notes in one chord or two verses of the same poem, each beautiful on its own, but really meant to be played together. The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal.
It’s irreplaceable and unbreakable. And we are, as a country, as you know, doing unbelievably well. We had a very sick country one year ago, and today I believe we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world. In fact, nobody’s even questioning it. But we owe so much of that to you and the footing that you gave us when we started.
Together, we’ve done more good for humanity than any two countries in all of history. Together, we must defend the exceptional heritage that makes us who we are. And we must continue to stand for the values and the people of the English-speaking world. And we do indeed stand for that. On behalf of all Americans, I offer a toast to one of the great friendships, to two great countries, and to His Majesty King Charles the Third.
A very, very special man. And also a very, very special queen. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. It’s a great honour to be with you. Donald Trump is in Britain this week for his second state visit. Yesterday, King Charles hosted the American President at Windsor Castle for a state banquet.
This is the speech Trump gave.
