MAGA toadies piled on the makeup and cheap-looking outfits as they were unleashed on British royalty, jostling for a photo op with the king.
On day two of his visit, King Charles III was officially welcomed on the South Lawn of the White House before giving a historic address to Congress. Later on, champagne flutes clinked as the king and President Donald Trump toasted to the “special relationship” between the great allies.
What wasn’t great, however, was some of the fashion on display. The men largely escaped critique owing to their lack of imagination in the suit department, but Sen. Ted Cruz stood out when he collared the king for a photo op. The Texas Republican was caught on camera introducing the monarch to his family before he cut the polite chit-chat short.
Notably, the lawmaker did not remove his offensively large glasses while speaking to the king. Cruz’s blue two-piece summer suit also looked decidedly cheap when compared to his highness’s.
The monarch’s dark blue suit featured faint pinstripes, with his opalite pocket square and bright tie adding a pop of color. Trump, meanwhile, donned his usual blue two-piece and paired it with a gauche red tie.
The first lady stood to his right, wearing a blazer-cum-corset, pencil skirt, and heels. All of it was white, but for a bizarre straw hat. Queen Camilla opted for a dress thingy with blazer-like lapels. She finished her look with a summer hat and leather gloves, despite the moderate temperatures.
MAGA podcaster Katie Miller, ever the snappy dresser, offered a glimpse into the audience’s fashion choices when she uploaded a photograph to X that she said was taken by outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Only her floating head was visible at the back of the shot, but Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo and Erin Elmore Scavino were stationed at the front, their coats on full display. Bartiromo wore a fully cream trench coat, while Scavino showed off the opposite end of the spectrum with a garish floral number.
At the state dinner that evening, the men all wore tuxedos. Dan Scavino, the White House deputy chief of staff, posted a telling behind-the-scenes photograph.
In it, he poses with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, the president’s son Eric Trump, and his sons-in-law Jared Kushner and Michael Boulos.
Rubio and Miller opted for white pocket squares, while the others did not. Jared Kushner broke the rules by wearing a watch and bracelet, while Scavino was the only one to wear a cummerbund. It was awkwardly slung across his gut.
Ivanka Trump looked like she was trying to channel Frozen’s Elsa in her flowy blue gown, while her half-sister Tiffany tried to steal the show in what looked like a strapless wedding dress.
Erin Elmore Scavino posted a shot alongside the Trump sisters, Eric Trump’s wife, Lara Trump, Marco Rubio’s wife, Jeanette D. Rubio, and Katie Miller, who is expecting her fourth child. Miller’s evening dress was just a hint lighter than Barney the Dinosaur’s distinctive purple hue, and it accentuated her bump, which she clutched in the picture.
Elmore also snapped a selfie with Fox News personalities Ainsley Earhardt and Laura Ingraham during the bash, but it was Melania Trump who stole the show in a Christian Dior Haute Couture gown that looked like a curtain. The strapless ensemble featured a messy fold down her left side and was complete with a pair of mad scientist-style white elbow-length gloves.
This is the second time the first lady has gone strapless in a meeting with Camilla. In September, she wore an eye-popping yellow dress to a banquet held by the royal family at Windsor. Her effort on Tuesday night was a more muted one, as the former model opted for a more stripped-back pink tone.
Camilla, meanwhile, wore a darker pink gown with a sequined effect on the upper. Notably, the queen carried a small handbag throughout the day, while Melania left her hands unoccupied, creating some awkward body language as she stood beside her husband.
Inside, the president led the pomp and ceremony, but it wasn’t long before he messed up. He forced Buckingham Palace into an urgent clarification when he said, “Charles agrees with me” on Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons.
“The King is naturally mindful of his Government’s long-standing and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation,” the Palace told the BBC in response.
