Donald Trump Was Queen Elizabeth II's Favorite President—Newsmax Presenter

From Truman to Biden, Queen Elizabeth II met 13 out of the last 14 U.S. presidents during her long reign, which spanned through seven decades. The only exception was Lyndon B. Johnson, who did not visit Britain during his presidency.

It's a record for any monarch around the world, but certainly one that's not surprising for the longest-ruling sovereign in British history.

Queen Elizabeth II, with her famous discretion, never said anything out of line about any U.S. president, nor has she ever expressed a preference.

And yet, on the same day the Queen died, conservative TV host Greg Kelly, an anchor at right wing news website Newsmax, claimed that Donald Trump was Queen Elizabeth II's favorite American president.

Announcing the death of the Queen, Kelly said that the two "had real chemistry, real personal affection for each other," pointing at pictures of the two as a clear example of the relationship between them.

After recapping the Queen's meetings with each of the last 13 U.S. presidents she got to know, Kelly said "the body language alone" in the photos of the Queen with Trump says the one with Trump was the Queen's "most genuine relationship with an American president that she had."

"The affection was mutual," he added.

The Queen and then-president Trump met in 2018 and 2019, in quite unusual circumstances.

In 2018, when Trump visited Britain for the first time since taking office, more than 250,000 people showed up in the streets of London to protest against the U.S. president.

Famously, London's mayor Sadiq Khan allowed protesters to fly a giant orange balloon depicting the president as a baby in diaper over the skies above the British capital.

When he met the Queen, Trump walked in front of her, leaving her to look at his back, until realizing his faux pas and waiting for her to walk alongside him. The whole episode sparked mockery and criticism for the then-president on social media.

But even more attention was given then to the fact that during their encounter the Queen was wearing a brooch that Barack Obama had gifted to her—an American-made, 14-karat yellow gold flower and agate pin—and the fact that Elizabeth II was alone in meeting Trump, while all other members of the British Royal family had made themselves scarce under various reason.

In 2019, when they met again, Trump attended a banquet at Buckingham Palace where the Queen, her four children and their spouses were present. During the event, Trump toasted Elizabeth II as a "great, great woman" and broke protocol by putting his hand on her back.

Talking to Fox News the day after meeting the Queen, Trump said that he had "such a great relationship [with the Queen]."

"We were laughing and having fun. And her people said she hasn't had so much fun in 25 years. Then I got criticized for it because they said we were having too much fun... I feel I know her so well and she certainly knows me very well right now, but we have a very good relationship with the United Kingdom," Trump said.

Reacting to the news about the passing of the Queen, only minutes after the news was announced on Thursday evening by Buckingham Palace, Trump paid tribute to the British monarch on his profile on Truth Social.

"Melania and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Together with our family and fellow Americans, we send our sincere condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom during this time of great sorrow and grief," he wrote.

"Melania and I will always cherish our time together with the Queen, and never forget Her Majesty's generous friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humor. What a grand and beautiful lady she was—there was nobody like her!"