President Trump is not ‘no one’s friend’ — he is our friend

Miriam Shaviv’s view of US President Donald Trump as a narcissist, consistently inconsistent, who is no one’s friend may be a view shared by many British Jews. But, as an American Jew living in London, I see it differently.

First, President Trump was elected in a fully democratic electoral college system dating back to the transition of the original British colonies into the United States of America. Most Americans like Trump see the UK as their nation’s closest ally, personified by the bust of Sir Winston Churchill in the Oval Office of the White House.

While President Obama interfered in the Brexit referendum by confirming that his government would put the UK last in the queue for international trade agreements, President Trump said he would put the UK first in the queue and I do not think he will change his view on this basic issue.

President Trump has said throughout his campaign that he will stand by Israel, and this is a view that is almost unanimous among US Republicans.

He has reaffirmed that the Israelis and Palestinians must tell us what they want, as the two-state solution has failed for so long, bearing in mind that the Arab states are prepared to help resolve the issue more than they have been in the past.

Regarding the invitation to visit the UK, invitations have been granted to many heads of state who are on good terms with the UK, states which have nothing like the American standard of human rights or historic links to the UK, such as China and Saudi Arabia.

Why have so many protested against Trump’s visit, while accepting so many other official visits by a range of heads of state? My theory is that when liberals win presidential elections the conservatives accept it and get on with their lives. When an outspoken conservative wins the electoral college vote but not the popular vote, the liberals find it difficult to accept. Joseph Feld,