Donald Trump rages at claim Queen Elizabeth II found him ‘very rude’

LONDON — Donald Trump on Thursday angrily dismissed a claim that Queen Elizabeth II found him “very rude” — and described himself instead as the late monarch’s “favorite president.”
A “Voyage Around The Queen” — a new biography by writer Craig Brown serialized in the Daily Mail this week — offers a damning verdict on the former U.S. president, who has spoken frequently of his admiration for Elizabeth II.
“Over the course of her reign, Her Majesty entertained many controversial foreign leaders, including Bashar al-Assad, Robert Mugabe, Idi Amin, Donald Trump, Emperor Hirohito and Vladimir Putin,” Brown wrote.
He continued: “She may not have found their company convivial; upon their departure, she may even have voiced a discreet word of disapproval.
“A few weeks after President Trump’s visit, for instance, she confided in one lunch guest that she found him ‘very rude’: she particularly disliked the way he couldn’t stop looking over her shoulder, as though in search of others more interesting.”
Trump first met the queen in 2018 — though his state visit to the U.K. was overshadowed by protests — including a giant blimp depicting him as a baby.
The former U.S. president, making a fresh run for the White House in November, quickly rejected Brown’s claim as “totally false” — and branded the book’s author a “sleaze bag.”
Speaking to the Daily Mail in an interview shared Thursday, Trump said: “I have no idea who the writer is, but it was really just the opposite. I had a great relationship with the queen. She liked me and I liked her.”
And he added: “We spent hours together at a state dinner. She was a fantastic woman. I think it’s a shame that a sleaze bag can write an article that’s totally false. In fact, I’ve heard always the opposite.”
“I heard I was her favorite president, and you’ve heard that too. She would say it to a lot of people.”