People howling at Donald Trump's reaction as King Charles cracks cheeky joke

King Charles had guests at an official state dinner at the White House roaring with laughter through a succession of jokes and good-natured jibes aimed at his hosts. However, one cheeky remark which left the room in stitches appeared to leave President Trump completely baffled.

The King and Queen are currently in the USA on an official state visit commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence. An official state dinner took place at the White House yesterday evening, where both the King and President Trump delivered toasts, just hours after Charles gave a historic address to Congress. The King had dinner guests howling with laughter when he quipped the occasion was a “very considerable improvement on the Boston Tea Party.”

But another joke seems to have left the President puzzled while attendees laughed. In a clip circulated on social media the King says: “You recently commented, Mr President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German. Dare I say that if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French.”

The room bursts into raucous laughter, while Mr Trump looks around at the audience with a polite yet bewildered smile. Numerous people on social media suggested the President failed to grasp the joke, a reference to the French and Indian War of the 18th century.

Part of the Seven Years’ War, which spanned from 1756 to 1763, the conflict saw British forces battle French colonists for dominance over portions of North America and Canada. It eventually ended with the 1763 Treaty of Paris, in which France relinquished its territorial claims in Canada and sections of North America to Britain and Spain. This established Britain as the pre-eminent colonial power until the American Revolutionary War a decade later, reports the Mirror.

People on X, formerly Twitter, were in stitches over the joke, and Mr Trump’s response to it. One said: “The look of embarrassed bewilderment says that he has no idea what the King is referring to.”

Another wrote: “The best part is that Trump doesn’t have the brain to understand what the King said.” And someone else said: “That awkward smile, yeah he definitely didn’t catch that one.”

A different user commented: “Nothing like a history lesson wrapped in royal sarcasm to keep dinner interesting. Diplomacy level: politely savage.”

Speaking the same evening, Mr Trump described the King’s address to Congress as “great”, and admitted it made him “very jealous”. Charles received a dozen standing ovations from across the political spectrum, as he delivered a masterclass in diplomacy, highlighting the special relationship between Britain and the United States.

As the King and Queen, alongside the President and First Lady, posed for photographs ahead of the state dinner, Mr Trump gestured towards Charles and said: “He made a great speech. I was very jealous.”

Among those attending the state dinner were a host of Trump allies and senior US government officials, alongside prominent figures such as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Northern Irish golfing star Rory McIlroy. On the third day of the state visit, the King and Queen will head to New York for a series of engagements, which will include paying their respects at the 9/11 memorial.