During a Friday (September 9) episode on CNN’s “The Lead,” host Jake Tapper said it would be “clever” for Biden to invite former President Donald Trump to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Tapper’s comments came after Biden revealed he would be attending the Queen’s funeral after Buckingham Palace announced her passing on Thursday. Queen Elizabeth II, who was 96 when she passed, is succeeded by her son King Charles III.
Mentioning that the United Kingdom is allowing every country to choose who it sends to the Queen’s funeral, Tapper wondered if Biden would take Trump.
“I mean, the U.K. has made it very clear, that’s up to the president. He’s invited. He can bring whatever delegation. So obviously, Obama, you know, Carter, Bush, no-brainers. What about Trump? Will he invite Trump?”
All living former Presidents released statements expressing their condolences within hours of the announcement.
In his statement, Trump said he’d “never forget Her Majesty’s generous friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humor. What a grand and beautiful lady she was—there was nobody like her!”
Tapper’s questioning seems to stem from wanting to know how Trump would respond to being a subordinate on Air Force One, despite it not being uncommon for a President to invite a former President to the funeral of a world leader.
“I think that the clever move is to invite him and see if he goes,” Tapper stated. “I don’t think former President Trump would want to be subordinate on Air Force One, and I think probably he prefers his own plane anyway.”
