Oh Good, Now Trump Has an Actual Gold Crown

President Trump responded to the massive No Kings protests earlier this month by insisting he is not a monarch, while simultaneously issuing kinglike threats and sharing memes of himself wearing a crown. So at first glance, the news that South Korea gave Trump a gigantic gold crown does not seem great.

Upon further investigation, this headgear wasn’t meant to be something Trump can pop on whenever he feels like asserting a divine right to rule. The foot-tall crown, which South Korean president Lee Jae Myung presented to Trump when they met on Wednesday in Gyeongju, is a replica of one of South Korea’s national treasures. Per the New York Times:

The headpiece Mr. Trump received is a replica of one of six gold crowns excavated from Gyeongju’s royal tombs, alongside gilded jewelry, belts and other ornaments.

The crown was excavated in 1973 from a tomb, known as the Cheonmachong, that researchers believe belonged to the 21st or 22nd Silla king. It is the “largest and most extravagant” of the six crowns, a spokesman for Mr. Lee told Mr. Trump during the ceremony.

The crown symbolized the “divine connection between the authority of the heavens and sovereignty on earth,” the spokesman said, as Mr. Trump stared at the crown. It also represented “the spirit of Silla, which brought peace to the Korean Peninsula for the first time,” the spokesman said.

Trump was also awarded the the Grand Order of Mugunghwa and he joked about wearing the gold medal that accompanies South Korea’s highest honor. But thankfully, the Times reports that he did not seem interested in using his new crown for monarch cosplay:

Mr. Trump did not express a desire to wear the replica crown, which was inside a glass box. But he and Mr. Lee went to see the real version in the museum, according to the White House.

Certainly, it’s not a great sign that South Korea sees the leader of the United States as a man who can be easily flattered with shiny gold gifts, a dinner of “mini beef patties with ketchup,” and a rousing rendition of “Y.M.C.A.”

But Trump has lowered the bar for a good news day to “Did the president post an AI-generated video of himself dumping poop on Americans today?” And I’m happy to report that it’s been ten whole days since a literal presidential shitpost. Let’s take our wins where we can.