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Donald Trump

Donald Trump has rejected reports that he was late to meet the Queen as “fake disgusting news”, explaining that it was actually the Queen who made him wait.

The US president also dismissed claims that he overstayed his welcome during the royal encounter at Windsor Castle last month.

The comments came as Trump renewed his campaign against the media at a Pennsylvania rally, during which he denounced the press for underselling his accomplishments and doubting his political rise. “I was asked to have tea with the Queen, who is incredible by the way. Incredible,” Trump told the crowd. “I was about 15 minutes early and I’m waiting with my wife and that’s fine. Hey, it’s the Queen, right? We can wait. But I’m a little early.” The president said he then went to have tea with the Queen.

“And I didn’t know this — it was supposed to last 15 minutes but it lasted like an hour. Because we got along. And she liked our first lady and our first lady liked her.

“But we got along fantastically well. But the time went by — you know, sometimes you get along and the time goes by. So here was the story by the fake news:

The president was 15 minutes late for the Queen. Wrong.

“And then here’s the rest of the story. So they said I was late when I was actually early, number one. Number two, I guess the meeting was scheduled for 15 minutes and it lasted for almost an hour. The president overstayed!

“So I was late and I overstayed. And honestly folks, it was such a beautiful, beautiful visit an afternoon but they can make anything bad because they are the fake, fake disgusting news.”

Mr Trump’s invectives against the media came amid a backdrop of antagonism to journalists from the White House and hostility from the thousands packed into a loud, overheated Wilkes-Barre arena. —  AFP