There’s a long history of gift-giving between the royal family and American presidents. I mean, every world leader who visits the Queen is expected to bring a gift, and they can expect to receive a gift as well. The Queen is surprisingly thoughtful gift-giver, and by that I mean that her staff does good research and there’s likely a huge meeting to figure out which gifts should be given and received. The best gift for the Queen is likely jewelry, right? The Obamas gave her a small brooch during one of their visits, and she wears it often enough. So the Trumps decided to do the same: they gave the Queen a brooch. Here’s more about the gift exchange:
The Trumps came bearing a Tiffany & Co. silver and silk poppy brooch in a custom White House wood jewelry box in a red leather box for Queen Elizabeth II, according to the White House. For her husband, Prince Philip, they brought a personalized Air Force One jacket and signed autobiography by American General and famed World War II air commander James Doolittle, “I Could Never Be So Lucky Again.”
Though Prince Philip left active duty naval service when he married then-Princess Elizabeth, he holds a number of military appointments, including as Marshal of the Royal Air Force.
The first lady was “very involved with the gift selection,” her spokesperson Stephanie Grisham said. “Working with the State Department, Mrs. Trump takes great care in selecting meaningful gifts,” she added.
Likewise, the Trumps were presented with thoughtful gifts of their own in keeping with longstanding tradition. For the President, the Queen gifted a 1959 first edition copy of Winston Churchill’s “The Second World War” bound in full crimson goatskin with gold tooling and a three-piece Duofold pen set. Trump has a known affinity for Churchill; in one of his first notable acts as President, he restored the bust of Winston Churchill, which had been moved during the Obama administration, to the Oval Office. For the first lady, a specially commissioned silver box with a handcrafted enamel lid.
Well, what could the Queen do? Giving Trump a special book on Churchill was never going to be ideal, because Trump is illiterate and he really doesn’t know anything about Churchill, truly. But I’m sure he liked the pen set. She could have given him Sharpies and a big Mac and he would have been happy. I’m sure Melania liked her silver box. “But it’s not gold, Donald?” As for the poppy pin… yes, I guess credit to Melania – that was thoughtful.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
ughhhhh. I know everyone is doing what they’re supposed to, but ugggghhhhh.
Loving how fat and miserable he looks in his tux.
He looks like a character from the board game “CLUE”.
he looks like the guy from Monty Python’s Meaning of Life who explodes after the “wafer-thin mint”.
Why do his clothes always look so off the rack on him? Every suit he wears emphasizes his rotundness. I’m surprised he doesn’t have a tailor to fit his suits in a more flattering manner. He looks absolutely terrible walking next to the Queen in that outfit above. To be fair, perhaps he’s wearing a bullet proof vest under his waistcoat. But something tells me that’s all him.
First thing I thought.
Yvette, it never fails to amaze me how many folks don’t know how to best dress for their body type.
and you KNOW 45 would never take advice on that…he thinks that he looks perfect and NO ONE can tell him different. example: the long ties he wears…he thinks they “hide” his rotundness, but all they do is look stupid, and…yes, TOO LONG.
That tux looked like he bought it at Cheap Charlie’s Bargain Basement. The waistcoat was way too long, the jacket looked like it shrunk in the wash and the sleeves were too long, And he looked so uncomfortable and awkward like he knew he was out of place and didn’t belong there, and the Queen looked like let me get this dinner over with fast so I can get this lout out of here. Then I looked at a photo of the Queen and President Obama at his state dinner and how sharp and elegant he looked and how he and the Queen seemed to be thoroughly enjoying each other’s company. The contrast was mind-blowing,
@whatWHAT?
MR CREOSOTE!!!!!!!!!!! bahahahahaha
His dress wear is particularly poorly fitting which is odd to me.
I think Melania makes a real effort.
Yes, Alissa, but just look at The Queen’s face. It’s as if she’s grinding – not simply gritting – her teeth, and repeating silently, “Such dreadful, C.O.M.M.O.N. people, but one must endure. It will be over soon. It will b over soon. It will be ov…”
Credit to the White House account manager at Tiffany’s.
Who gets to tell Melania and Orange Voldemort that they don’t get to keep these things?
Yeah, no way in hell that Melania had anything to do with the selection of the gifts. I guffawed when I read that.
I tend to think they’re pretty indifferent to the gifts from the Queen so won’t have a problem leaving them behind. I mean they’re not gold or cash so…
I have noticed that the only time Melania makes an effort is when she is meeting with a head of state and his/her spouse. She appears to be the only person in Trump’s inner circle who understands that his lack of legitimacy on the world stage significantly weakens him. I assume the gifts were selected by a State Department protocol officer, but I would not be surprised if she was well briefed on why they were selected. She looked so nervous at Buckingham Palace it was clear she knew they could not afford a wrong move.
Wrong place
They do not get to keep the gifts that were made public. So, thank you to Buckingham Palace for making that information public. The State Department stopped publicly listing diplomatic gifts when the Orange Turd took office. So any gifts they were handed when they visited Saudi Arabia (likely handed over in a back room, out of sight of any one) have never been publicly disclosed and are probably sitting in a safe somewhere, undocumented and unreported.
My recollection is that the Obamas reported that the Saudi’s gave Michelle a diamond necklace that was turned over to the State Department and is in a warehouse somewhere. Similar diplomatic gifts to the Reagans and Fords are on display at their Presidential libraries.
I once went to an exhibition of gifts given to the queen by other heads of state. It was fascinating. Definitely a lot of bling from oil states.
And that all belongs to the Queen, personally, as an individual. She can do whatever she wants with all it, including selling it.
Shortly after Charles & Camilla married, they did a diplomatic tour of the Middle East. Camilla was given a small mountain of jewels on that trip – multi-strand diamond necklaces, massive earrings, etc. She and Charles had to make a deal with the government to avoid the awful publicity that started to appear when she started wearing it all. When she dies, it goes to the Crown Estate. She does not get to sell it or give it to her kids or grandkids. The rules regarding gifts to the royal family were rewritten so that diplomatic gifts, like Camilla’s necklaces from the Saudis, are Crown property; they are no longer personal property.
At least he brought the real Melania
Mmmm, and Her Majesty still outshone her!
Guarantee that Melania had nothing to do with choosing those gifts.
No doubt, especially given how much it was emphasized how much she was involved.
I think she picked them out. She has to one-up the Obamas.
None of them look happy in the pictures.
Trump looks like a bloated penguin in that tux. My apologies to penguins everywhere.
Someone called him “Enrico Pa-Fatso” online (a riff on the Naked Gun character) and now I cannot unsee it.
That was my first thought, too! He looks like he’s about to bust out of his tux, and the buttons could be lethal projectiles!
Sorry, the only thing that comes to mind is “Old Lard-ass”
No, and when contrasted with a photo of Obama and the Queen in the same situation, both lit up with smiles and easy body language, it’s really telling.
as one of my UK friends said, they shouldn’t have had Prince Charles walk so close behind 45.
(this is not verbatim, but close) “one looks like a classy, relaxed nobleman and the other looks like an old fat angry waiter who was forced to work an extra shift.”
I mean, he’s GOTTA hate the way that tux accentuates his gut…and it doesn’t have to; an evening suit vest isn’t supposed to sit UNDER the gut, but on top of it, if you have one. he’s not wearing it right and all it does is show how tubby he really is. no looooooonnnnngggg tie to hide that.
THIS
https://montypython.fandom.com/wiki/Mr_Creosote
is who he looks like. (hope the link is OK)
Trump looks like a severely obese butler who hasn’t had his suit refitted for a decade and who ate all the food before the guests arrived.
Anyone else think these gifts are massive trolls?
The give a book to a man who famously doesn’t read.
They gave a silver box to the wife to said man, who famously is obsessed with gold.
I love it.
yes. I think NONE of the royals are fond of ANY of the drumpfs.
Yes! She got him a book he’ll never read and an empty silver box for her.
Yes, the Queen gave Trump a book about WWII in first edition. I will never believe that she wasn’t being a bit cheeky knowing that Trump would never get it and that no one could point out for certain that she was trolling.
lmao, I didn’t know about the gold preference! THAT is golden, then.
The Queen also gave him a book about WWII as a reminder that his German-American (not Swedish) father avoided service, just like his sonny-boy.
I can’t stand these people.
But a poppy brooch right before the 75th anniversary of D-Day is kind of nice – so good job on the staff that picked it out.
The Tiffany manager of the White House account would be the responsible person.
They did a lovely job – clearly one of the few competent ones on staff. I googled the brooch and it’s really pretty as well.
I doubt Melania knows that the poppy is a symbol of remembrance in the Commonwealth. Her education isn’t that extensive.
They’re probably hoping the Queen wears it as often as she wears the broach the Obamas gave her so they can say, “anything Obama does we can do better.”
Oh – guaranteed!
They can hope. It’s already collecting dust on the bottom shelf of the closet where she keeps the hundreds of other brooches she wears once every 20 or 30 years. Nowhere near Granny’s Chips.
That’s exactly what I was thinking.
Whatever, I’d graciously publicly accept a gift like that from him then go home and flush it down the toilet. As if he cares anything about veterans.
Well OBVIOUSLY I don’t think he was involved in the selection, nor do I think he gives a flying f-ck about veterans as anything more than a campaign tool. I loathe the man. But the person who did pick out the gift did a nice job.
Is there a picture of the poppy pin anywhere? I like the poppy thing. That was a very good gift.
Possibly this one? It’s nice, but cheap.
https://www.tiffany.co.uk/jewelry/brooches/elsa-peretti-amapola-brooch-10778433/
Yeah, it is silk, but the profile wouldn’t easily identify it as a poppy. It in no way resembles the iconic poppy pin UK citizens wear during the Remembrance Day season. I wouldn’t chance wearing that pin alone, lest someone suggest I forgot my pin. I would wear it *with* the standard poppy: 1) Avoid the risk of public criticism, and 2) Toss a little shade (2 birds / 1 stone)
This is nothing like the iconic poppies we Commonwealthers wear during the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day. It’s pretty, but looks like it could be worn at any time – I would be surprised if she ever wears it!
Hyacinth- it’s hideous. Sheridan and his roommate could have done much better
It’s very modern, not something the Queen would wear. Maybe Meghan can borrow it next Remembrance Day. That should put a twist in Trump’s waistcoat.
Ha! 600 pounds of cheap…
Remembrance isn’t a season, it is one day, 11th November. Only the “poppy nazis” would berate someone for not wearing a poppy or for wearing one that didn’t fit their norms. I am British and I don’t wear one precisely because bullies have tried to make it mandatory and make it last for a month and the people we remember died for freedom not for crappy bullies making you wear a bit of paper pinned to your coat for a month. And I remember the soldiers in my family who died all year round.
How does Melania not get crotch wrinkles in her skirts/dresses? It bewilders me. Do they just move her around on a dolly and never let her sit?
Please, no more articles on the Trumps. I can’t take it! Total shit show and the Brits know it!!! Now he’s claiming he wants to do trade but we all know it’s a LIE! Trump will hold this leverage over the Brits until we vote his Orange Ass out of office!!! Note to the British people…Trump only deals with countries that will make him rich when he is voted out of office. The shit show yesterday was a check on his bucket list..A-hole!!
The Brits I gather are desperate because of this brexit disaster, but if they are depending on this guy to make and keep a deal, then they are well and truly doomed and for that I do feel very badly.
There is no hope of a proper trade deal with the UK as long as Trump is in office. Period. Anyone worth their salt in the UK would know this. Trump has a track record of reneging on promises. He wakes up in the morning and decides what to do based on how he feels and what he sees on Fox News. That’s it. Facts, logic, knowledge…they’re all wasted on him.
I think Melania’s gloves are tragic-that’s all I got.
That’s all?! Her evening dress is so weird! Flames?! Makes me think of a tacky mall evening dress store (clearance rack.) I thought she’d do way better.
I like the hat outfit though, she looks appropriate and gorgeous there.
I love that dress and I think it’s one of the best she has ever looked. She runs 50/50 or me on loving or hating what she is wearing, but so help me, I really like this one.
It’s tragically comic that her dresses are at least 1/2 size too small, yet her evening gloves are baggy.
I find it weird though that the gift is a brooch. It’s lazy. They obviously read that she wore the Obama’s brooch often.
Melania trolls Michelle Obama all the time!!
Trolls or creepily copies with no hint of shame
Let’s not forget Mel also plagiarized Michelle’s speech …
It’s not. A lot of people around the world give the Queen brooches as gifts. It’s pretty standard, since it’s at a point now where she’s not likely to have much use for anything else. A brooch, esp a custom one made for the occasion is a nice enough gift to mark the event.
They gave her a vacant box lol
“Empty” being a key part of the gift, right. Shiny outside, but hollow inside.
Did anyone see the photo of the Trump kids? Truly a horror show, especially Don Junior. This tweet made me laugh, even as I wanted to weep and rage at their presence there:
https://twitter.com/ProudResister/status/1135713175322497024
Dear God, that’s a dumpster fire of fashion.
Tiffany looks like she’s stuffed in the top of her dress. Maybe it’s just the style, I don’t know.
She’s not fat, but you wouldn’t know it looking at her in that dress.
Weird, right? She’s NOT fat, but she looks twice as wide as everyone else in that photo.
Yeah Tiffany’s whole look is pretty terrible and her deer in the headlights facial expression mirrors that. But you can tell that Ivanka just fancies herself a princess. Lol/barf.
She seems a bit bigger than usual. Maybe the stress of being a trump.
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/05/29/19/14112666-7083615-image-m-130_1559153313023.jpg
someone commented that it looks like someone cut off Tiffany’s head, removed her neck, and stuck her head back on. I DO NOT GET WHY SHE LOOKS LIKE THAT.
same commenter said that Ivanka looks like “formal sister-wife”.
and dumbass Eric has his evening coat BUTTONED. big no-no, fashion-protocol wise.
at least these three “men” aren’t so heavy that the part of the white vest showing doesn’t look like a dong, like it does on 45.
I think she’s got somewhat of a short neck/shoulders and a really round face. And the sleeves of the dress are really doing her no favors.
That said – that bathing suit photo looks almost weird. Maybe some kind of medication making her look more puffy than normal? I don’t think she’s that large – but it almost looks like she’s swollen. And I don’t mean that in a mean way – but there doesn’t seem to be any actual rolls or anything, maybe some weight gain and a large lunch or something? I don’t like to play into bump watch, but this is one of the few times that I do genuinely wonder.
She started law school this year, right? Maybe she’s been stress eating. The first year of law school is really difficult and requires a LOT of reading because you have to be on your toes when your profs call on you in class. I know a few people who gained 15-20 lbs in law school.
OMG – Tiffany’s dress looks like it ran away from a bad Gone with the Wind revival. Nagini’s looks like she stole curtains from Laura Ashley and the other one, her dress looks like an 80s prom reject.
As for the men – the look like over weight penguins.
Miss Ellen’s portiers
Nagini’s wearing a Betty Draper dress and the choker pearls don’t go with it. She has the weirdest head/neck.
What’s with the weird facial hair? To hide the famous non chin? They look like something out of the Munster’s ball.
Sorry, Brits. Most of us DIDN’T vote for Dolt 45!
I have to say tho that it’s TIFFANY and not TIFFANY’S! No S!
I want a ring from Tiffany. I want a bracelet from Tiffany. (Actually I want one of those “love” bracelets from Cartier, but I’d be perfectly happy with a Tiffany bracelet, lol.)
Nagini was at the No 10 trade talks today – now doubt trying to get a little side deal for herself and Ken Doll. TBF she is the only crotch goblin who is making sure she is seen with the politicians and royalty. That one has plans to launch herself into politics, mark my word she will run for office.
I’d like to see the brooch they gave TQ – wonder if Melania’s BF got her a staff discount on it.
I can’t get over how he looks in that tux. And that look on his face!! It’s like he knows he has to wear it and looks beyond awful. HAHAHAHAHAHA
The Queen’s silver shoes are AMAZING!!! Me want!!!!
The Queen throws brooch shade. God save the Queen!😅😅😅😅
https://twitter.com/th3j35t3r/status/1135757599104782337?s=21
God I’m so humiliated during this press conference going on right now.
The press conference with May was cringe worth.
Oooh – Trump dropped that Corbyn asked to meet him and Trump said no. hahahahaahahahahaahahaha – that gave me life. Corbyn is just as incompetent as Trump.
Trump wants the NHS on the table, not going to happen and it WILL BE an election deal breaker. Anyone to tries to sell the NHS to the US pharma ghouls will never get in.
Also, he SAW the baby blimp: https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/06/04/11/14348496-7102217-image-a-40_1559644646834.jpg
Melania looked like she was having a good time with Philip May, Treesa’s husband. I thought I saw a few genuine smiles.
I so dislike Corbyn, so this is not defending him,but….trump says that about everybody who disses him. It’s his “i didn’t want to date you anyway you’re fat!” thing.
I would have disregarded it as that but Labour confirmed that it happened – that after snubbing him at the State banquet he (Corbyn) decided he was ready to talk to him and asked for a meeting. When is Corbyn going to be ready to be a leader of the opposition?
Well, that is a good question he is a complete disaster and during a time when there would have been such opportunity for the Labour party to take over! Instead they are nonentity with this moron running it.
DU: Trump had ZERO idea what the NHS was so he made something up on the spot. He saw the Blimp and all the protest, the man loves a LIE! Take everything he said with a grain of salt because it will change within 24 hours. I’m not sure what to tell you Brits about trade moving forward with the US. Brexit is a complete shit show and moving forward trade will always be a challenge.
Trade deals will be a nightmare going forward as in many areas we are not in the strongest position and we don’t have ANY good trade negotiators – we relied on the EU for that.
I don’t think he knew what the NHS stood for, he only got it when Treesa pointed it out plus, not to defend Chump, he he struggled to hear the question (I struggled to hear it on the feed).
Also I hope he didn’t run over and kill Larry the No. 10 cat (the car is the beast):
https://e3.365dm.com/19/06/1600×900/skynews-trump-protest-larry-cat_4686090.jpg?bypass-service-worker&20190604133144
DU: He heard the question. He had Zero idea what NHS was so he faked it! I’ve watched him do this time and time again when he is trying to buy time.
OMG, poor kitty… geez….all we need is for Trump to kill a poor innocent kitty!!! Would probably blame the cat knowing him!
@DigitalUnicorn. If anything happens to Larry – we’d have a cat rebellion to join our push riots.
Giving that particular book to Trump was intentional SHADE SHADE SHADE. And in the abridged edition. I almost peed myself laughing. And he has no CLUE he just got straight up scolded and chastised, basically.
Yes, she knew Churchill’s book would go along nicely with Dump’s copy of Mein Kamph that he’s so proud of. Deepest shade 🙂
Indeed – today he seemed very surprised that we Brits have a copy of the US Declaration of Independence that May showed him during the tour of the Churchill War Rooms. Apparently it’s the only known copy that exists outside of the US and is owned by the UK’s National Archives. It used to be on display but not sure now as it was being repaired as its not in great condition.
He tried to read it, he practically had his face pressed against the class.
As for shade, they also didn’t get a red carpet coming off the place (very unusual), they were not allowed to stay in any of the 52 bedrooms of Buckingham Palace because “renovations” (of all 52 rooms, apparently), the Queen wore a brooch the Obamas gifted her, and her speech was a hundred different kinds of oh-so-British shade. Most excellent.
re: the red carpet…from what I’ve heard, the airport where 45 landed was a civilian one (read: NOT military) so the mayor of London had jurisdiction over whether or not it would be laid out.
and (shocker!) he was like “nah.”
His gut is hanging out of his tux. Absurd fatso. Melania looks like a mannequin in a store window, which is why her husband bought her. Despicable, grifting imposters.
I’m dying at these signs 😂😂😂
The Funniest Protest Signs From Trump’s Visit To The UK
https://www.sadanduseless.com/donald-meets-england-funny/
Those are AWESOME.
Brilliant, thanks for the link.
Never let it be said the Brits don’t have a sense of humour!
duplicate
Don’t know what happened there, I didn’t even get the chance to edit to duplicate post.
Then it did!
The Trump baby blimp has its own twitter account:
https://twitter.com/TrumpBabyUK/status/1135856444941754368
I went to the march and it wasn’t as busy as I thought but I did overhear an American gentleman say ‘this is democracy at work’. Also Gwen Christie (GoT) was there and she got the biggest cheers. I left before Comrade Corbyn spoke.
This is the first time I’ve noticed the Queen looking her age. She’s starting to look weak and frail. Which makes sense, she’s 93.
And it’s pathetic that she has to expend any energy on the trump garbage family and their grifting hangers-on.
Suffering through Trump would age anyone. 🤮
Wow that porker could barely get the vest on his evening wear. That book, while nice, is wasted on this idiot. He’s probably going to use it as a door stop.
The fact that the royals wasted a first edition Winston Churchill book, bound so beautifully, on a chump who can’t fcking read makes me beyond angry. I’m one of those people who thinks the Queen should have done her best to read the room and refused a state visit for this a-hole. There are people in the world with far less privilege than her, with far FAR more to lose, who have put their lives on the line to stand up to Trump and his administration, so no, “she did not have a choice” is not an acceptable excuse for me, sorry. Not only can this bastard not read, he probably doesn’t even have the capacity to appreciate such a gift. If he didn’t have retainers and people picking up after him, he’d probably have gone back to his hotel room, tossed it in a corner somewhere, and have it shut up in some dusty cabinet so that he can use it as a show piece and nothing more. And I say all this as a person who loathes Winston Churchill, but would still accept this book in a heartbeat, because I imagine nothing would make Churchill angrier than this book being in the possession of an Indian woman who is ironically more likely to appreciate it.
As for the brooch–does anyone know if it was a custom made brooch? Because I’m thinking that he just got one of his lackys to go to Tiffany’s and pick up something, anything, that would be acceptable.
Someone pointed out last night that the Queen wore a particular Burmese ruby crown/tiara that is meant to ward off illness and….EVIL!!!
Ha!
Melania looks really bad
I love that the Queen is dripping in her jewels. Eat your heart out, Trumps.