Social media users have reacted to a video of President Donald Trump from his meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this week, claiming it proves the 47th President cannot read.
PROOF trump is completely illiterate, as has been documented many times. First of all, he didn't want to read the letter in the first place. Then acts like he's reading it, but later you can see by the length of the letter, there is NO WAY he read it. Then, makes the official…
— JB Thinkin (@JBThinkin) February 28, 2025
During Trump’s meeting with Starmer at the White House on Thursday, the Prime Minister presented him with a letter from King Charles III.
“Thank you very much,” the president replied. “Am I supposed to read it right now?”
“Yeah, please do,” Starmer said, as the room burst into laughter. “I have got to tell him what your reaction is so I need to know.”
“Oh, that’s, wow,” the President said blankly, looking over the letter. “Well, that is very nice. I need to make sure his signature is on that. Otherwise, it is not nearly as meaningful.”
Trump then continued to praise King Charles before returning the letter to Starmer and requesting that the Prime Minister announce an important point contained within it.
“Perhaps you would like to say what that very important paragraph says?” Trump said, handing the letter to Starmer.
“This letter is from His Majesty the King. It is an invitation to a second state visit. “This is really special; it has never happened before,” Starmer said.
Users have mocked the President for a variety of responses to the letter, including his refusal to read it right away and passing it back to Starmer to make important announcements about its contents.
“His eyes did not move, and he did not read it,” said one user.
“Does anyone think King Charles was 100% aware Trump cannot read and sent the letter and asked the PM to give it to him in front of the cameras so he would squirm?” said a third.
“YOU ELECTED SOMEONE WHO Can not REEEEEEEAD,” wrote a fourth.
The resurgence of jokes about Trump’s alleged illiteracy has resurfaced an interview with actor and comedian Pete Davidson, in which Davidson claimed that then-first-time presidential candidate Trump cannot read.
The interview, filmed in 2015 by Opie Radio, features Davidson discussing Trump’s struggles during a Saturday Night Live table read.
“Okay, so he is not very good at reading. For real, yes. And he enjoys improvising. So during the table read, before he had to read each line, and he is the host, so he is everywhere, he would say, ‘Uh, I am not going to say this. I think I will say it the way I want. “Is that okay?” Davidson recalls.