He puffed out his chest like a robin in spring
PRESIDENT Trump strode on to the stage of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with that languid gait, his barrel chest puffed out proprietorially like a robin in springtime.
Standing at the lectern, he let the microphone know who was in charge, yanking it forcefully, first left-ways then right, before sizing up his audience, jutting out his chin and flashing the cameras a confrontational pout.
The eager-to-please house guest who, just a few hours earlier, had meekly walked into Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen, had suddenly vanished. El Presidente was back.
In Westminster, Press conferences have become occasions for politicians to evade, deflect or simply choose not to hear the question. Majestic is the snobbery of their eardrums.
Trump, by contrast, prefers to drop his shoulder and charge at his inquisitors head-on. By the time he’d finished answering questions, the nib of my pen had practically caught fire. Beth rigby from Sky news asked him about London Mayor Sadiq Khan, whom he had branded a ‘ stone cold loser.’ normal politicians would have tried to row back, or at least squirm in discomfort.
Trump, though, welcomed the chance to give a critic another lashing. Mr Khan, he said, had ‘ not been a very good mayor. Crime is up. There’s a lot of problems. he’s a negative force. he should focus on the job.’ Standing alongside him, our nervy soon- not- to- be Prime Minister’s mouth became more contorted than a misshapen corkscrew. next, Trump revealed that Jeremy Corbyn – who had ostentatiously refused to attend Monday’s state dinner – had then hypocritically sought him out for a private pow-wow. ‘he wanted to meet with me and I told him “no”,’ Trump drawled. ‘I think that he is, from where I come from, somewhat of a negative force. I think people should look to do things correctly, rather than criticise.’
What about the protests? ‘What protests? It’s fake news!’ Would deals to supply the nhS be on the table during post-Brexit trade negotiations with the US? ‘Everything should be on the table!’ he shot back.
This last question forced Mrs May into a frantic recovery mode as ‘ nhS for sale’ headlines flashed before her eyes.
‘ Er... er...’ she spluttered. ‘ The point about making trade deals, of course, is that both sides negotiate and come to an agreement about what should or should not be in that trade deal…’
THERE followed a question about Boris Johnson’s leadership bid. he would be a good leader, Trump declared. As, he added, would Jeremy hunt, who was in the audience. As for Michael Gove, the President couldn’t vouch for him as he couldn’t remember who he was.
‘Jeremy, would Michael be any good?’ he joked. Mr hunt shot one of his enigmatic smirks.
The Press conference took place in the Foreign Office atrium – all granite, marble and Corinthian colonades. It has more bling than one of
The Donald’s chintzy hotels. In the front row, America’s First Lady, Icy Melania (‘Lanny’) sported a Dr Livingstone-style safari coat.
Mrs May spoke first, praising the UK-US special relationship. She called Trump ‘Donald’ rather than Mr President. Odd. From time to time, they exchanged awkward side glances, reminiscent of Celia Johnson and Trevor howard’s opening exchanges in the film Brief Encounter.
Trump thanked the Queen – ‘a fantastic woman, a fantastic person.’
Interestingly for a man not usually long on compliments, he hosed Mrs May with treacle. At one point, he even suggested she might be a better negotiator than he was. Surely not!
The United States’ relationship with the United Kingdom, he concluded, was ‘ the greatest alliance the world has ever known’. Mrs May purred with relief. Meanwhile, out on the streets, the muchvaunted protests were a bit of a soggy damp squib.
In Parliament Square, the puerile Trump blimp, a large inflatable caricature of the President, barely got up in the air before it was brought down again. In Trafalgar Square, a protest took place which organisers hoped would be the biggest demonstration in history.
It was well short of that. The placards on display were uniformly witless and obscene. I saw one which read, ‘ They All work For rothschild’ – an oblique anticapitalist barb against the banking dynasty or a similarly obscure reference to the £ 1,400 bottles of Chateau Lafite rothschild 1990 served at the state banquet.
Mr Corbyn turned up at the protest shortly after lunch. he delivered the same speech he’s been giving for the past 30 years about changing the world. It’s staggering how bad he remains at delivering it. he speaks in four-word bursts, often veering off into tangents. his voice became so maniacal towards the end of his diatribe that I thought his eyeballs might pop out.
The Labour leader’s vitriol meant the anti-Trump hostility had ratcheted up from the previous day when Old Etonian actor Dominic West, whom I encountered on The Mall, said he was ‘rather disappointed’ that all he could see was a sea of flag-waving.
Donald Trump heads to Portsmouth today for the 75th anniversary of D-Day commemorations. Should he avoid any gaffes down on the south coast, it will be unquestionable that his state visit will be considered a thumping success.