Horses, Parades, and Political Copycats: Trump's Royal Victory Lap

Patrick Gutfield covers President Trump's lavish second state visit to Windsor Castle - complete with horse carriages, military bands, and a private lunch that makes Mar-a-Lago look like a Denny's. Plus, Trump announces a Republican midterm convention after Democrats had the same idea, proving that even presidential politics involves copying homework. From wreath-laying at Queen Elizabeth's tomb to dueling political conventions, it's pomp, circumstance, and shameless imitation all in one show.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Callaroga Shark Media from London, where they know how to
put on a parade. This is valid, that's right. The
prints will show off to distract an easily distractable man.
Let's hit this. I'm Patrick Gutfield and President Trump is
heading back to Windsor Castle for his second state visit,

(00:23):
and the royals are rolling out the red carpet like
he's returning a Netflix series they actually want to renew.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will greet Trump and
the First Lady on the castle grounds, which sounds lovely
until you realize this is basically the world's most expensive
meet and greet. Then they're all doing a carriage procession
through the estate with four senior royals. The Household Cavalry

(00:46):
Mounted Regiment will provide what they're calling a sovereigns escort,
which is fancy talk for really expensive horses walking really slowly.
Three military bands will be playing, and you know Trump's thinking, finally,
a parade that's actually about me and not some guy
who died two hundred years ago. After all the pomp,

(01:07):
they're having a private lunch inside Windsor Castle. Private lunch
at Windsor Castle that's the kind of flex that makes
mar a Lago look like a Denny's. I expect horse
carriages to be added to the White House by Friday.
Then Trump gets a private tour of the Royal Collection,
which is basically the world's most valuable garage sale that
nobody's allowed to touch. But here's the touching part. They're

(01:31):
going to Saint George's Chapel to lay a wreath on
Queen Elizabeth's tomb, to see as she will roll over
in her grave, a quiet, solemn moment in what is
otherwise the presidential equivalent of a Renaissance fair. You can
almost picture Trump whispering, she would have loved this whole thing.
Then we're back outside for a fly past with the
red arrows and F three five fighter jets, because nothing

(01:53):
says diplomatic relations like were really loud planes flying overhead.
They're calling it a powerful symbol of the Transatlantic Alliance,
which is military speak for expensive skywriting. The day wraps
up with a state banquet in Saint George's Hall, where
King Charles and Trump will both give formal remarks. Two men,
one castle, multiple courses, and probably the most diplomatically worded

(02:17):
toast in recent memory. Here's to continued dialogue. Tomorrow morning,
Trump heads to Checkers to meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
They'll view the Winston Churchill archives, which feels very on
brand for a meeting between two guys who definitely have
opinions about everything. Plus traditional bagpipers will be there, because
apparently no important British meeting is complete without someone in

(02:40):
a kilt making noise. Two days, multiple castles, countless ceremonies,
and enough pageantry to make a Broadway producer weep with envy,
and to think there's a podcast that covers nothing but
this stuff. It's called Palace Intrigue. And now the calaroga
bosses can stop complaining that I never cross promote. President

(03:03):
Trump announced Tuesday that Republicans will hold a midterm convention
ahead of the twenty twenty six elections. This comes after
Democrats were already quietly considering the same idea, which means
we're about to get dueling political conventions in an off
year election. What could possibly go wrong? Trump posted on
truth Social that the Republicans are going to do a
midterm convention in order to show the great things we

(03:25):
have done since the presidential election of twenty twenty four.
He added time and place to be determined. Stay tuned.
It will be quite the event and very exciting. The
exclamation points are doing a lot of heavy lifting there.
Trump announcing a convention with the enthusiasm of a cruise
ship activities director. I wonder which Trump hotel he'll hold

(03:46):
it at and how much money he's going to make
from it. The DNC's response was deliciously petty. The sincerest
form of flattery is imitation, and we're amused the president
is following our lead. Well, in that case, maybe the
Dems should at least something labeled the Epstein files to
see what happens. Here's the thing about midterm conventions. Democrats

(04:07):
used to hold them in the seventies and eighties, then
scrap the idea in nineteen eighty six because party leaders
decided they were a waste of money and energy. Apparently
they didn't make their money from selling mid roll ads.
Portions of today's show were made with the help of
AI and the UK