Donald Trump criticised President Joe Biden for not attending the coronation of King Charles III, as he toured Scotland and Ireland. Trump, who is running for president in the upcoming elections, called Biden's decision to skip the London event "disrespectful."
However, UK and US officials noted that it is in line with tradition as no US president has ever attended a British monarch's coronation. Instead, First Lady Jill Biden will represent the US at the ceremony.
The last such ceremony occurred in 1953, when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned.
"When you have somebody that's going to be sleeping instead of coming to the coronation as president of the United States, I think it's a bad thing," Trump told Britain's GB News.
"It shouldn't happen. It's disrespectful," he told Nigel Farage, a populist British politician and longtime Trump ally, in an interview at one of the latter's two golf resorts in Scotland.
Trump, 76, who formally launched his campaign last November to win back the White House for Republicans, claimed Biden was hindered by his physical condition, despite the 80-year-old president visiting the UK and Ireland last month.
"I would have attended. I think it's a very important event. I think that it's hard for him to do it physically... getting over here for him," Trump said.
"But certainly he should be here as a representative of our country. I was surprised when I heard that he wasn't coming."
The coronation of King Charles III will be attended by around 2,000 people, including leaders, heads of state and royals from around the world.
French president Emmanuel Macron, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen are among the politicians set to be at the Westminster Abbey service.
(AFP)
Piyush Goyal and Jonathan Reynolds tour the Royal Opera House in London
