People are convinced Trump can’t read after he hands back King Charles letter to Keir Starmer
UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer hands an invitation from King Charles III for a second state visit to US president Donald Trump. (Carl Court – Pool/Getty Images)
People are convinced that US president Donald Trump can’t read after he asked UK prime minister Keir Starmer to read a letter from King Charles III out loud to him.
During the prime minister’s visit to the White House, Starmer handed a letter to Trump in the Oval Office.
The agenda included discussions on peace in Ukraine and easing US-Europe tensions. However, Trump was also given an “unprecedented” invitation from King Charles for a second state visit to the UK.
Before stating, “am I supposed to be reading it now?” Trump appeared to be reading the letter in his head, then began searching for the King’s signature.
Trump, calling the letter “really nice”, then bizarrely asked Starmer to read the letter aloud – particularly the “very important paragraph.”
“This is really special. This has never happened before. It’s unprecedented, and I think that symbolises the strength of the relationship between us,” Starmer said in summarising the letter’s contents.
Starmer then prompted Trump to confirm if he would accept the invitation, Trump confirmed, stating: “We look forward to going there and honouring the King and your fantastic country.”
The moment sparked intense online speculation about whether Trump was able to read the letter.
‘Trump CANNOT read’
One person commented on the moment on X, writing: “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 describe what was in letter. Trump CANNOT read.”
Another captioned a clip of the moment: “Those who question Trump’s reading ability (why he rarely uses autocues) will see this as more evidence.”
Those who question Trump’s reading ability (why he rarely uses autocues) will see this as more evidence https://t.co/57EHZL1ZxL
— Andy (@asmart10) February 27, 2025
‘Does Donald Trump need reading glasses?’
“Does Donald Trump need reading glasses? It looked as though he got Starmer to read the King’s letter,” someone else commented.
Another comment quipped: “Beyond cringe from Starmer. Snivelling stuff. Looked like Trump needed help with reading as well.”
Beyond cringe from Starmer. Snivelling stuff. Looked like Trump needed help with reading as well.
— 🐦🏴 🇪🇺🇵🇸🇺🇦🏳️🌈 (@KatieSuze) February 27, 2025
Well done world. https://t.co/8BcG9yb8Na
Despite his odd decision to ask Keir Starmer to read King Charles’ letter aloud during their meeting, Trump has proven on previous occasions that he is not illiterate. He has a bachelor’s degree, has repeatedly shown he can follow a teleprompter script and posts regularly on social media.
Trump previously claimed in a 2021 interview with Australian reporter Jonathan Swan, “I read a lot, I comprehend extraordinarily well, probably better than anybody you’ve interviewed in a long time.”
However, Trump’s avoidance of the printed word during his first term has frequently been a topic of discussion.
In Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury,” published in 2018, he noted: “(Trump) didn’t process information in any conventional sense. He didn’t read. He didn’t really even skim. Some believed that for all practical purposes he was no more than semi-literate.”
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