On the U.S. Labor Day holiday, incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump sparked controversy after posting a three-minute edited video to his social media platform Truth Social that misrepresents the actions of Britain’s King Charles III and casts other high-profile world leaders and former U.S. presidents in a negative light.
The edited clip that has drawn the most attention purports to show King Charles shrugging and walking away abruptly from a man who collapses during what is framed as a recent royal engagement. In reality, the footage was captured years earlier, in July 2020, when Charles was still serving as the Prince of Wales during a visit to an Asda supermarket distribution center in Bristol, held at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The full unedited footage, which was cut from Trump’s post, shows Charles reaching out to steady the fainting worker before staying at his side to wait for medical assistance to arrive. Later photos from the same visit also confirm Charles spoke with the worker after the incident to check on his condition.
Beyond the misleading clip of King Charles, the video compiles other selectively edited footage to suggest disrespect for U.S. military and protocol from other global and domestic political figures. It opens with footage of a French guardsman collapsing behind French President Emmanuel Macron during an event at the Elysee Palace, includes a clip of former U.S. President Joe Biden appearing to check his wristwatch during a military repatriation ceremony, and shows former President Barack Obama saluting U.S. marines while disembarking Marine One with a paper cup in his hand.
The latter half of the video pivots to a carefully curated montage of positive moments from Trump’s political career, including footage of him returning a dropped U.S. marine’s cap, saluting during repatriation ceremonies, comforting the grieving families of fallen service members, hugging military veterans, and greeting law enforcement officers. Text overlays throughout the pro-Trump segment claim the montage shows “the side of Trump the media doesn’t show you” and labels him “the people’s president,” with Christina Perri’s popular ballad *A Thousand Years* playing as a backing track for the entire video.
Notably, Trump has repeatedly spoken publicly about his warm personal relationship with King Charles. At the conclusion of the British monarch’s state visit to the U.S. in April, Trump publicly praised Charles, calling him “the greatest king in my book.”
As of press time, Buckingham Palace has confirmed it will not issue any formal comment on the misleading video, and the White House has also declined to respond to multiple requests for comment on the incident.