Donald Trump mocked Joe Biden for sitting 14 rows back at Queen Elizabeth II ’s funeral, saying he would have been closer to the front if he were still president.
US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden were seated in the 14th row, only seven from the back, in Westminster Abbey's south transept for the late monarch's funeral on Monday.
Former US President Donald Trump was soon to jump on the seating plan and launched a tirade against his successor.
Mr Trump posted a photograph of the assembled world leaders, with a red arrow pointing to Mr Biden, on his social media platform Truth Social.
"This is what’s happened to America in just two short years. No respect!" he wrote.
The former president said that had he still been in office, he would have been seated further forward.
He continued: "However, a good time for our President to get to know the leaders of certain Third World countries.
"If I were president, they wouldn’t have sat me back there—and our Country would be much different than it is right now! In Real Estate, like in Politics and in Life, LOCATION IS EVERYTHING!!!"
However, the former Republican President failed to realise that due to protocol Commonwealth leaders were placed in front of those from other countries.
So it may have looked odd that Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, was nine rows in front of the US President and that Mr and Mrs Biden were seated next to Ignazio Cassis, the president of Switzerland.
But this is because Commonwealth countries, which have The Queen (or now, the King) as their Monarch took priority.
Andrzej Duda, the Polish president, was in front of Biden and immediately behind them was Petr Fiala, the Czech prime minister.
Many social media users attacked Trump for his outburst.
One wrote: “Even in death, Trump tries to make it all about him.
“If any other President were told to sit on the steps for the Queen’s funeral, they would have.
“Trump would have walked out if he wasn’t front row.”
Over 2,000 guests were seated in Westminster Abbey for the state funeral and just under a quarter of those invited were overseas heads of state or foreign dignitaries.
The Bidens arrived at the abbey 10 minutes after the cut-off and were forced to wait while a procession of George and Victoria Cross-holders went ahead of them.
While all other world leaders arrived together on coaches, the Bidens took their own limousine and convoy of security.
Video footage showed the cars stuck in traffic outside the sandwich chain Pret a Manger near Oxford Street in central London.
On the day of her death, Trump posted on Truth Social: "Queen Elizabeth’s historic and remarkable reign left a tremendous legacy of peace and prosperity for Great Britain."
