Meghan Markle made her stance on Donald Trump very clear long before his first presidency.
Now, as Trump is set to be officially declared the 47th president of the United States on January 20, a role he first took on in 2017 before Joe Biden defeated him in the 2021 election, it’s a good time to look back at the history between him and the Duchess of Sussex.
The tension between Markle and Trump began in 2016.
During an appearance on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, Markle referred to Trump as “divisive” and “misogynistic,” ahead of his presidency.
“Trump is divisive, think about female voters alone, right … I think it was in 2012 the Republican Party lost the female vote by 12 points – that is a huge number, and with as misogynistic as Trump is, and so vocal about it, that’s a huge chunk of it,” she stated at the time.
She went on to share that her support for Hillary Clinton wasn’t based solely on her gender, but rather because, as she put it, “Trump has made it easy to see that you don’t really want that kind of world that he’s painting.”
Three years later, in 2019, Trump was asked by The Sun about Markle’s previous remarks. His response was: “I didn’t know that, no. I didn’t know that.”
He went on to say: “I hope she is OK.”
The interview then pointed out, “She said she would move to Canada if you got elected. It turned out she moved to Britain,” to which Trump replied, “There are a lot of people moving here, so what can I say?”
Finally, when asked about Markle’s earlier comments, he added, “No, I didn’t know she was nasty.”
Trump was later asked by Piers Morgan, who has frequently criticized Markle, to explain his ‘nasty’ comment made during his state visit to the UK, which happened around the time Markle was on maternity leave while pregnant with Prince Archie.
Trump clarified, saying, “I wasn’t referring to her as ‘she’s nasty’ — I said she was nasty about me. And essentially, I didn’t know she was nasty about me.”
He continued, “So, I said, ‘But you know what, she’s doing a good job, I hope she enjoys her life.'”
Trump went on to share that he thought Markle was “very nice” and, when talking about Prince Harry, he added, “I did. I congratulated him, and I think he’s a terrific guy. The royal family is really nice.”
In response to reports claiming that the Duke of Sussex allegedly tried to avoid him at Buckingham Palace, Trump clarified: “No, just the opposite.
“In fact, he spent a lot of time talking to Ivanka and talking to my family. I went up, and he couldn’t have been nicer. I think he’s great.”
Later, during the 2020 Time100 special, the same year the Sussexes stepped down from their senior roles within the British royal family, Markle shared: “Every four years we are told the same thing, that this is the most important election of our lifetime.
“But this one is. When we vote, our values are put into action and our voices are heard. Your voice is a reminder that you matter, because you do and you deserve to be heard.”
Although neither Markle nor Prince Harry explicitly supported any specific candidate, Trump reportedly saw her comments as backing Biden.
When asked about her remarks during a White House press briefing, he responded, according to the Guardian: “I’m not a fan of hers. And I would say this – and she’s probably heard it – but I wish Harry a lot of luck, because he’s going to need it.”
Later, in September of that year, Markle was asked at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit about her thoughts on having a “sitting president” take aim at her.
“It’s about being true to yourself,” she replied. “If you look back at anything I’ve said, it’s quite interesting because what tends to be considered inflammatory is often just how people interpret it.”
“But if you actually listen to what I say, you’ll see it’s not controversial.”
