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Interview with Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, (D-VA): Press Dinner Suspect Charged with Attempting to Assassinate President Trump; King Charles and Queen Camilla Arrive in U.S. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired April 27, 2026 - 14:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:30:00]

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: ... This stems from a systemic demonization of him and his supporters by commentators, yes, by elected members of the Democrat Party and even some in the media. This hateful and constant and violent rhetoric directed at President Trump day after day after day for 11 years has helped to legitimize this violence and bring us to this dark moment.

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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: She mentions by name, specifically, a lot of Democrats, Hakeem Jeffries. She mentions Governor Josh Shapiro, who we should, by the way, note that there was an arson attack on the governor's mansion in Pennsylvania. Senator Alex Padilla, Elizabeth Warren, Adam Schiff, Senator Ed Markey, Governor JB Pritzker.

Congresswoman Presley saying, we'll see you in the streets. Congresswoman Lamonica McIver, what do you think of what she's saying there?

REP. SUHAS SUBRAMANYAM (D-VA), ATTENDED WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER: It's not helpful and it's outrages me because we can make a similar list of things Republicans have said over and over again. We can make a similar list of threats have occurred against us. I've had threats against me in my office.

And the reality is this is bipartisan. This is nonpartisan. All political figures are getting some form of threats.

And so this is out there from both sides. Both sides need to come together and fix it. And when you say the things that she said, that was clearly a prepared remark, the way her intonation was.

Then this is a strategic effort to basically fan the flames of an already very hard political environment.

KEILAR: Yes. And we have a list of some of the incidents that we've seen -- if we can put that up. It's very clear that it is bipartisan Democrats, when we think of the Minnesota state lawmakers, for instance, who were killed or injured along with their spouses.

There were people at that dinner, a number of them, Steve Scalise, Charlie Kirk's wife, who touched this list. Right. So we saw that. But I want to ask you, we're in the middle of a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. And I wonder how that is looking to you as we see something like this happen.

SUBRAMANYAM: We shouldn't be in this shutdown. The Senate passed a unanimous bill and the House Republicans decided not to put it on the floor. It would pass if it was on the floor.

So the shutdown should end soon. But you know, we shouldn't be jeopardizing law enforcement and their ability to do their jobs either. And so I hope we can come to a solution this week and House Republicans put that Senate bill to the floor.

KEILAR: It will reopen because of Republicans banding together to vote for it.

SUBRAMANYAM: That's the hope.

KEILAR: But knowing that it has extended this long because of Democrats, I mean, are you seeing the Democratic opposition any different?

SUBRAMANYAM: Well, again, Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans came together unanimously with a strategy to fund everything. But ICE already has 43 billion dollars. And so we agree with that strategy.

We were ready to vote for it. But House Republicans and specifically Mike Johnson decided that they didn't want to put it on the floor for a vote. So this could end very quickly.

But until then, we're still in this mess that we're in right now.

KEILAR: Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it.

And let's go now to Joint Base Andrews, because the plane carrying King Charles III has arrived in the U.S. You're looking at it there a little ahead of schedule. A high profile visit for the King and the Queen as at a time when the special relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. is certainly being tested. We will have much more on this very important visit that is going to be quite a feature around Washington here in the coming days after a quick break. Stay with us.

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Breaking news to CNN. The Royals have landed. These are live images of Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla now arriving at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

They will soon after head to the White House. This, Charles' first trip to the United States as King. The Royals' four-day tour includes a speech to Congress, a visit to New York's 9-11 Memorial, and a celebration in Virginia as well. The King and Queen are sticking to their planned schedule even after Saturday's shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. We'll, of course, bring you the deplaning as it happens, but let's discuss right now with royal commentator Sharon Carpenter. Sharon, thank you so much for being with us.

Just to start, what are you anticipating from this royal family visit?

SHARON CARPENTER, ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Well, obviously, the mood has shifted slightly after the shooting that took place on Saturday. So I think at least for this first day, the mood's going to be a little more somber. I think the King and Queen will probably use this time during the private tea with the Trumps to give them their well wishes in person.

And we know that over the weekend, they did connect with them and they messaged them directly to send their sympathies. But one of the things about King Charles, and I think this makes his visit even more powerful, the fact that the British monarchy stands for stability, stands for composure and reassurance.

[14:40:00]

So to see the British monarch really standing in solidarity with the U.S. during this very difficult moment and an unexpected moment, I think is going to be very powerful.

SANCHEZ: Yes, certainly. The backdrop of this visit, of course, politically, comes at an awkward time, to say the least, between the United States and the U.K. all over the war with Iran. President Trump, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, their relations have frayed somewhat.

President Trump recently comparing him to Neville Chamberlain. I wonder if you think officials in Britain are hoping that this visit between the King, who gets along with President Trump pretty well, helps to mend some of these disagreements.

CARPENTER: Oh, that's absolutely what the plan is and why the British government wanted this visit to happen in the first place. It's not working on the political side of things, so they are sending in the King with his soft power that has been shown time and time again, the British monarchy's soft power can be very, very influential when it comes to world leaders. And yes, President Trump happens to be a huge fan of the monarchy and, of course, of King Charles himself.

He has showered him with praise, called him a great man. He's very excited about this visit. And even President Trump himself has said that he does believe this state visit will help fix the divide between the U.K. and the U.S., so we'll have to see if it works.

SANCHEZ: Yes, notably, another story that's sort of percolating as this is happening calls for the royal couple to meet with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse. Obviously, after the Andrew Mountbatten- Windsor scandal, the royal couple so far not planning to do so because it may affect the results of some legal inquiries in Britain. And as we watch, the door on the plane is about to open at any moment, so we should see the King and Queen momentarily.

I wonder if you think, Sharon, that controversy will come up during the visit at all, how the King and Queen might handle it.

CARPENTER: Yes, certainly. It's part of the backdrop. And I know Representative Ro Khanna is now calling for the King to acknowledge survivors of Jeffrey Epstein during his speech to Congress.

He was hoping that the King might meet with some of the survivors. Virginia Giuffre's family as well and some of the survivors themselves have asked the King to meet with them, but a palace source has told us that is impossible at this time because of this ongoing active investigation into the King's younger brother, former Prince Andrew, and anything that could potentially get in the way of that is something the King cannot be involved with. So there are a lot of people out there who see this as a missed moral opportunity, but I do think the King's hands are tied.

SANCHEZ: I also wonder, Sharon, just the fact that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, now live in the United States, albeit on the West Coast, are we anticipating a bit of a family reunion? Is there a chance that they may swing by the East Coast?

CARPENTER: Unfortunately not. We were all holding out hope, but I don't think so. Harry and King Charles did spend some good father-son time together last year, but since then more distance has grown between the two of them.

They haven't seen each other since then, but this mission really is a very sensitive, very fragile diplomatic mission that King Charles is on right now, the U.K. government looking to King Charles to really salvage the relationship between the U.K. and the U.S. So that is the focus right now, and unfortunately Harry, Meghan and the grandkids are not part of the plans.

SANCHEZ: Yes, understandably so. And as, again, we await the de- planning of the King and Queen, that door should open at any moment. We should note there are some dignitaries awaiting their arrival, including Ambassador Monica Crowley, the Chief Protocol of the United States, also British Ambassador to the U.S., Christian Turner, standing by.

So we will see them hopefully opening that door soon. Sharon, if you could talk to us about the background, the relationship between Trump and the King, because they go back quite a ways.

[14:45:00]

CARPENTER: Yes, they do go back quite a ways. So 2005, back in New York, when the King was Prince Charles and he came over for an official visit, not a state visit, this is his first state visit, and he happened to meet Donald Trump and Melania at a reception. But yes, over the years, they have had interactions.

And of course, with Prince Charles, former Prince Charles now being King Charles, he did invite Trump over for his unprecedented second state visit. They pulled out all the pomp and pageantry that we have not even seen in recent modern times to woo Trump. The U.K. government understanding that Trump is very responsive to this type of ceremony and this type of pageantry.

But President Trump himself does look at King Charles as a friend. Again, he heaps a lot of praise upon him. He has deep respect for him. He's very excited about this visit. He can't wait to meet with King Charles in private.

He's already told us he wants to talk to the King about NATO, about the Iran war, about the U.K.'s digital services tax, which Trump's not very happy about. But that goes to show how much respect he has for the King. And it's quite unusual, actually, to hear a president get very specific about the issues and world issues that he wants to discuss with a British monarch.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And we should let our viewers know, if you look at the left side of your screen, not exactly where the camera is headed right now, it looks like the camera is pointing to some of the staff that's deplaning at the rear of the plane. But I just saw a moment ago the red carpet was being rolled out at the door closest to the cockpit.

So, again, we are waiting at any moment for the King and Queen to deplane. When it comes to this speech before Congress, in terms of visitors to the United States, it is one of the highest honors that is bestowed upon folks that come into the country, dignitaries such as the King. What do you anticipate his message to Congress and also to the American people is going to be?

CARPENTER: Yes, well, it's a tremendous honor and it's a historic moment for the King. He's only the second royal in history, his mother being the first. And she spoke to a joint session of Congress back in 1991 and received a standing ovation.

If you look at the video of it, the Queen was visibly uncomfortable by so many people on their feet, just applauding for her for such a long time. So we'll see if the king gets that same sort of warm reception.

Now, the royals are always very careful about what they say. Any speech is very carefully planned. But this one times that by a thousand. The King understands and the U.K. government understand that he is going in, delivering a speech in a country that is very polarized with a very polarizing president.

So therefore, traditional language. Sorry. Do you need to interrupt?

SANCHEZ: I'm sorry, I was trying to find out if we could hear what was going on because I was told the drums are now playing. Sharon, please continue.

CARPENTER: Yes. So here's the thing. Even traditional language, language that the Queen used back in her speech in 1991.

Democracy, freedom, tolerance. She spoke about how some people believe that power is down the barrel of a gun and that's never the way to go. But you can imagine how that might be received if the King delivered that kind of speech in this day and age.

So, you know that he's been very meticulous. Every word, I'm sure, will have been scrutinized to make sure that nothing comes across as politically loaded. But here's the other thing.

While the King is over here using his soft power to sort of woo Trump and to get him to look at the U.K. in a more favorable way, to stop with the verbal threats and speaking about adding more tariffs and belittling the prime minister, etc. He doesn't want this speech to come across as if it's a rebuke to President Trump. So he has to be very careful.

The speech has to be one of substance, has to be meaningful. It has to matter. He's got to get his point across.

But he doesn't want to sort of wade into the political minefield. And he certainly doesn't want to insult his host.

SANCHEZ: Sharon, let's go ahead and listen in as the King and Queen have now deplaned and are now making their way down the ladder on the red carpet. Let's go and listen in.

And there are the King and Queen now on U.S. soil being greeted warmly by a delegation of kids holding bouquets of flowers, handshakes and smiles all around as we hear some drums and horns in the background as well.

We've got CNN's Max Foster with us as well. Max, talk to us about the significance of this visit, a huge moment between the U.S. and the UK.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so the U.S. chief of protocol there, Ambassador Monica Crowley being the first to welcome them and some children with posies. These are children from British military families. And next to the ambassador, you've also got the U.K. ambassador to the United States.

So they've been very closely coordinating throughout this very complex visit, made a lot more complex yesterday when the whole visit was effectively put on hold because of what happened at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. And then officials had to work throughout the day yesterday to try to iron out any security concerns. And finally, they did that.

And I'm told that on the way over, the King was looking over his speech to Congress tomorrow. And he will reflect some thoughts about what happened on Saturday night, broadly speaking, to the close relationship between the United States and the U.K. over history rather than the current political moment. And I think this moment from Saturday and the King continuing with this visit.

I mean, the optics certainly from the U.K. side is that we are always shoulder to shoulder with the United States. You are our most important ally. So that's really going to be the message coming from the King throughout this visit -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: And obviously, that message comes at a time where politically things have been fraught between the United States and the U.K. over NATO -- or rather over Iran.

FOSTER: Well, over Iran and Britain not getting as involved as the White House would have hoped, but also immigration. More recently, the Falkland Islands, a suggestion the White House may not recognize British territory in the Falkland Islands. There are I mean, there isn't one bit of U.K. foreign policy.

It doesn't feel like the American president has criticized recently, but all uniquely focused on the government. And the relationship with the King only appears to have got stronger. So I think that the president does recognize that they are completely different roles.

Prime minister running government, the King representing the United Kingdom long term. And, you know, we know the president is very fond of the United Kingdom broadly, even though he isn't particularly in favor of the government right now.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And there is King Charles and Queen Camilla arriving in the United States, pausing momentarily, having been greeted by a group of dignitaries after de-planning on their flight. We anticipate that now, Max, the King is going to head over to the White House to meet with President Trump, who our reporting indicates has taken part in extensive planning.

Actually, let's go to Sharon with this question. Sharon, if you're still standing by or Max, are you there?

CARPENTER: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Well, Sharon, so it sounds like President Trump has taken a huge part of planning this visit, getting into the intricate details of what the decorations are going to be like, what's going to be on the menu. Obviously, that symbolizes a great deal. It's a gesture from President Trump to give this much attention to a visit from the King.

CARPENTER: Yes, absolutely. And when he went over for his unprecedented second state visit to the U.K., again, they just pulled out all the stops for him and showed him pomp like we've never really seen before. And so President Trump, not to be outdone, wants to do his best to treat the King and the Queen in the same way.

There is something that the King and Queen, the British monarchy in general, that they bring to President Trump that he really loves. And that is ceremony and that is status and that is respect. But certainly he wants to do his best.

[14:55:00]

So the King is just as thrilled as he was when he went over to the U.K. for his own state visit. But there is a lot going on. It's a jam packed visit.

Tomorrow is really going to be the big day. And that starts off with the White House official ceremony taking place earlier in the day. What's interesting, we'll have to see, because I know over a thousand guests were expected to be in attendance. But obviously, after the security concerns, we'll have to see if that's going to be scaled back at any point. Tuesday is also the day there's going to be gift giving. There's going to be the private meeting between Trump and the King, the day that the King is going to be speaking to Congress.

And then this very lavish state banquet. From what we're hearing, it's going to be a black tie affair. The one in the U.K. for Trump was a white tie affair. That's really as formal as it can get.

This one's going to be formal, too, but a little less so. But certainly very lavish. I'm sure a very strong guest list and doing everything they can to make the King feel at home.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Sharon Carpenter, Max Foster, thank you both. As we watch King Charles and Queen Camilla now awaiting departure from Joint Base Andrews as they head toward Washington, D.C. and the White House to meet with President Trump. The very first stop of their visit to the United States. We'll of course keep monitoring the King's visit and bring you developments as we get them.

We should also tell you that we are monitoring a press briefing right now from the Department of Justice that is set to begin momentarily regarding the assassination attempt that we saw on Saturday at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Stay with CNN.

We'll bring you all these stories live.

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