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An Unsettled Britain Plays Host to Trump

by Steve Herman

   LONDON --

   U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, the second day of his London
   trip, visits the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, then Chequers --
   the 16th century manor house of the current prime minister -- followed
   by Windsor Castle.

   He is taking helicopters to his various destinations. The president "is
   not avoiding anything" relying on helicopters, U.S. Ambassador Woody
   Johnson said, rather he is "trying to get as impactful a trip as he can
   get within a 24-hour period."

   There are street protests of Trump's first visit to Britain since
   taking office nearly 18 months ago. One protest group has been given
   permission for a balloon in the president's image, shaded in orange and
   dressed in a diaper, known as the "Trump Baby Blimp," to hover over
   Parliament Square Garden.

   London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the demonstrations are not anti-American
   but rather reflect opposition to "the politics of fear and despair."

   At Chequers, Trump and May will discuss foreign policy, according to
   White House officials.

   Queen Elizabeth II is scheduled to host the president and first lady
   for tea at Windsor.

   Trump has long spoken of his desire to meet the monarch, but for this
   queen, such encounters with U.S. presidents are old hat, having met 10
   American leaders since her coronation in 1952.

   Trump, however, is the most unconventional of modern U.S. presidents
   and there is some anxiety in Britain about whether he will adhere to
   protocol.

   'Gala dinner

   Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended a gala dinner in their
   honor Thursday hosted by the prime minister at the 17th century
   Blenheim Palace, 100 kilometers northwest of London.

   During the gala, a wide-ranging interview Trump gave to Britain's The
   Sun newspaper was posted on its website. In it Trump blasted May for
   wrecking Brexit.

   "I actually told Theresa May how to do (Brexit)," the U.S. leader said
   in the interview, "but she didn't agree, she didn't listen to me."

   Trump also warned May in the interview that any future trade deal with
   Britain will not be likely if Britain has a soft exit from the European
   Union.

   "If they do a deal like that," Trump said, "we would be dealing with
   the European Union instead of dealing with the UK," adding that
   approach would "probably kill" any future trade deals with the U.S.

   He complained that the soft Brexit plan was a contentious move against
   the U.S. because the EU "is very bad to the United States on trade."

   Trump had words of praise, however, for former British Foreign Minister
   Johnson who resigned earlier this week over the soft Brexit strategy,
   saying Johnson would "make a great prime minister."

   White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders in response to questions
   about the president's Sun interview said in a statement: "The President
   likes and respects Prime Minister May very much. As he said in his
   interview with The Sun she 'is a very good person' and he 'never said
   anything bad about her.' ... He is thankful for the wonderful welcome
   from the Prime Minister here in the U.K."

   President Trump also told The Sun London Mayor Khan has "done a very
   bad job on terrorism"by allowing so many migrants to come to the city.

   Khan told BBC Radio Friday, "The idea that you can blame (a rise in
   crime) on immigration from Africa is I think preposterous and we should
   call him out when he does so."

   Steve Herman is VOA's White House Bureau Chief.