President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted the king and queen of Spain at the White House on June 19.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited Texas and Louisiana before coming to Washington. The royal motorcade arrived at the White House shortly after 2 p.m. as a cool mist fell on the South Lawn, accompanied by thunder.
The two couples shook hands and posed for photos before going inside just as the rain intensified.
“It’s a great honor to have the king and queen of Spain, a beautiful country. We were in Spain not so long ago, and we love it. Very special people and a beautiful place,” Trump told reporters.
“And our relationship has been outstanding over the years and, I think, especially right now,” the president added. “Excellent trade relationship, military relationship—just about everything you can have. So we love Spain. And it’s really a tremendous honor to have you both at the Oval Office.”
Trump and the king held a closed-door bilateral meeting, while the first lady had tea with the queen. Spanish foreign minister Josep Borrell and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined the two nations’ delegations at the expanded bilateral meeting.
Following Trump’s remarks, King Felipe VI said: “We appreciate very much our common history, our heritage, so many years that we’ve shared. And we like to use that as a good benchmark for our very excellent relationships that we enjoy today.
“As you said, that there’s so many issues of common interest, of sharing the efforts in many areas. But as well, I think there’s one basic common issue, which is our value for democracy.”
June 19 marked the first meeting between Trump and King Felipe VI, who last visited the White House in 2015.
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