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Behind the scenes, however, a forensic lip reader was already working through the footage frame by frame — and what she found in those first few minutes on the South Lawn would end up being the most talked-about part of the entire visit.
What the Lip Reader Caught
Nicola Hickling, a forensic lip-reading expert and analyst at LipReader, reviewed the footage from the moment the royals touched down on the South Lawn — and shared her findings with the New York Post.
According to Hickling, the very first thing Trump brought up — after the initial greetings — was Saturday night’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. “This shooting …” Trump appeared to say, in Hickling’s reading.
It was not, by any stretch, standard small talk for a royal welcome. Charles’s response, according to Hickling, was telling: “I’d rather not stand about here too long,” the king apparently said — followed quickly by, “I feel I shouldn’t be here.”
Trump, seemingly unfazed, asked whether Charles was okay before adding: “It’s not a good thing.” Then, almost without pause, he kept going — reflecting on his own state of mind before the attack: “I wasn’t prepared, but now I am prepared.”
King Charles III and Donald Trump attend a state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on April 28, 2026 | Source: Getty Images
King Charles III and Donald Trump attend a state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on April 28, 2026 | Source: Getty ImagesExecutive Branch
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