US President Donald Trump on Sunday denied that he called Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, "nasty" and blamed the news media for making up the whole episode.
"I never called Meghan Markle 'nasty.' Made up by the Fake News Media, and they got caught cold! Will @CNN, @nytimes and others apologize? Doubt it!" Trump said in a Twitter post, the Efe news reported.
Trump tweeted after the subject of Markle came up in an interview he gave to a tabloid ahead of his three-day state visit to the United Kingdom this week at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II.
The US leader said he was not aware that Markle, a former actress who married Prince Harry in May 2018, supported his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and had vowed to shift to Canada if he won the White House.
During the 2016 campaign, Markle said Trump was "misogynistic" and "divisive." "You're not just voting for a woman if it's Hillary. Yes, you're voting because she's a woman, but certainly, because Trump has made it easy to see that you don't really want that kind of world that he's painting," Markle said.
Trump said he was not aware of the comments that the former actress had made about him. "I didn't know that. What can I say? I didn't know that she was nasty," Trump said.
The President, however, said he thought Markle would make "a very good" American princess. "It is nice, and I am sure she will do excellently. She will be very good. I hope she does (succeed)," Trump said, referring to Markle's role as a member of the British Royal Family.
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During his state visit, Trump will be welcomed with full honours and is scheduled to meet several members of the Royal Family.
The Duchess of Sussex, however, will not participate in the events because she gave birth a few weeks ago to her first child, Archie.
Security will be tight during Trump's visit and many protests, including a huge demonstration on Tuesday in London's Trafalgar Square are planned while he meets Prime Minister Teresa May at 10 Downing Street.
--IANS
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