Thursday marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day, and President Donald Trump heads to Europe for commemorations — including to Britain, where protesters are already dusting off the giant diaper-wearing, orange baby blimp they used to ruthlessly mock him on previous visits.

But mere days before he steps into Air Force One for his trans-Atlantic trip, the president already has managed to insult his upcoming hosts.

In an interview Friday with Britain’s The Sun newspaper, Trump disparaged Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, as “nasty” — his epithet of choice for women who speak their mind freely and don’t appear to be intimidated by him.

During his interview with The Sun, Trump was asked about comments made by the American-born Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, back in 2016 before he was elected president.

Markle, at the time an actress appearing on the cable television program “Suits,” said on “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore” in 2016, that Trump was “misogynistic… and so vocal about it.”


She added that she was turned off by his “divisive,” politics, and vowed to emigrate to Canada if he won the election. She ultimately emigrated to England, after marrying Britain’s Prince Harry.

Upon learning about Markle’s remarks from three years ago, Trump responded in customary fashion during Friday’s Oval Office interview.

“I didn’t know that she was nasty,” the president told The Sun, in remarks that ricocheted around the internet.

During the same interview, upon learning the Markle would not be attending any of the various events held in his honor during the state visit, Trump added somewhat incongruously, “I am sure she will go excellently (as a royal). She will be very good.”

Meghan Markle is 'nasty,' says Trump, and Boris Johnson would do a 'very good job' as Prime Minister – CNNPolitics https://t.co/M4dkj9Isc9 — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) June 1, 2019

It was not even a month ago, as ThinkProgress reported, that Trump used the “nasty” putdown for another woman who took a dim view of his policies — Sen. Kamala Harris (CA), one of the two dozen Democrats vying challenge him in the 2020 presidential election.


He directed the insult at Harris during a Fox News interview, following a congressional hearing at which California senator skillfully interrogated his attorney general William Barr.

Before that, it was his 2016 presidential campaign opponent Hillary Clinton whom he belittled as nasty, during one of their debates.

An official schedule for the upcoming three-day state visit to the U.K. published in the media has Markle — who recently gave birth to a son, Archie, is nowhere to be found on the itinerary, although Trump will meet with a retinue of royals, including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Accompanying Trump are First Lady Melania Trump and the president’s children.

The Trump’s visit comes amid a huge political crisis in Britain over the failure to successfully sever from the European Union after the public narrowly voted in favor of a “Brexit” three years ago.

Prime Minister Theresa May announced on May 24 that she is stepping down, and President Trump, in yet another unseemly statement, weighed in undiplomatically to say that ex-Foreign Minister Boris Johnson, in his view, would make an “excellent” successor.


May is due to step down in June 7, after her repeated attempts to get a Brexit deal through Parliament were unsuccessful. An election to pick her successor is set to commence on June 10.

Trump was greeted by mass protests and some leading politicians have expressed displeasure over the visit and have said that they won’t attend a state dinner held at Buckingham Palace in Trump’s honor.

Another minor kerfuffle erupted when the rapid response Twitter “Official Trump War Room” denied that the president had said “nasty” — and then included in the tweet audio in which the word could clearly be discerned in Trump’s comments.

Fake News CNN is at it again, falsely claiming President Trump called Meghan Markle "nasty." Here is what he actually said. Listen for yourself! pic.twitter.com/kLuPXBLMhf — Official Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) June 1, 2019

Among the no-shows at planned events honoring the president next is Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who said that May “should not be rolling out the red carpet for a state visit to honor a president who rips up vital international treaties, backs climate change denial and uses racist and misogynist rhetoric.”

During his previous visit, he was greeted by angry shouting crowds, but insisted in his interview with The Sun that, no, he’s actually quite popular in Britain.

“I don’t imagine any US president was ever closer to your great land,” he told the newspaper.

“You know there was a time quite a while ago, six or seven years ago, when a group of people came out against me in some form,” said Trump, whose mother immigrated to the United States from Scotland.

“Now I think I am really — I hope — I am really loved in the U.K., “the president said. “I certainly love the U.K.”

This article has been updated adding information about the Official Trump War Room tweet.