A soft power triumph for our great nation

Few spectacles can surpass a state visit to the UK. The shining breastplates of the Household Cavalry; the gleaming boots of the Guardsmen; the 41-gun salute by The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery; the flags, the carriages, the anthems, the banquet: everything carefully orchestrated to enhance the importance of the guest while reflecting the greatness of the host.

The grandeur of the occasion is augmented when the US president is in town since he brings the full panoply of the travelling White House: Airforce One; a fleet of helicopters and limousines, including the so-called Beast, a heavily armoured Cadillac; and, in this case, President Trump’s family – the First Lady and three of his children.

The purpose of this pageantry is to cement relations between the two countries, though this is not entirely necessary when they are such close allies. Mr Trump’s two immediate predecessors, George W Bush in 2003 and Barack Obama in 2011, were afforded the honour early in their first terms in office; and these three are the only US leaders to come on a state visit in the Queen’s 67-year reign.

This was, then, a signal moment for Mr Trump, one that he appeared to relish, taking time on the Buckingham Palace lawn to chat with members of the Guard of Honour, who must be more used to seeing visiting heads of state speed past.

For a president eyeing up a second term that once seemed as unlikely as his winning a first, what are now called the “optics” of such an occasion are of great value back home. He is a divisive leader who needs to show that he is treated with respect on the world stage. For American voters, the pageantry of a state visit to the UK alongside the Queen is hard to beat.

While the occasion is essentially ceremonial, for Mr Trump it is also deeply political. Indeed, he makes no concessions to protocol, attacking Sadiq Khan, the London Mayor, over comments the latter made in advance of the trip, calling him a “stone cold loser”. But the Left’s reaction to this visit says more about our politics than America’s. The first commoner of the land, the Speaker John Bercow, is snubbing the visitor, as is the leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn, indulging in puerile grandstanding that shows how unfit both are for the august offices they hold. They fail to understand that the presence of the American president on UK soil demonstrates that this country can still project its “soft power” in ways few others can.