After NATO chaos, Trump arrives in Britain

President Donald Trump traded one hot spot for another Thursday, leaving behind a contentious NATO gathering in Brussels and moving on to Britain, where he found a government in turmoil and sizable protests shadowing his every move. All was serene, however, during a lavish evening welcome ceremony at Blenheim Palace.

Hundreds of demonstrators chanted outside the U.S. ambassador’s residence where Trump was staying on the outskirts of London, providing a preview of the forceful protests expected during his twoday British stay.

Trump was whisked away to an oasis of warm greetings at a black-tie reception at Blenheim, birthplace of Winston Churchill, the larger-thanlife British leader cited by the president as a model of leadership. That was just one of several helicopter rides on the agenda for Trump, whose staff opted to keep him largely out of central London and the swarms of demonstrators who are likely to provide some of the defining images of his first official trip to the U.K.

Trump’s Marine One departure from the ambassador’s residence was met by jeers from demonstrators banging pots and pans, and another pack of protesters lined roads near the palace. Their signs read: “Dump Trump,” ”Lock Him Up,“”There Will Be Hell Toupee.” Police worked overtime, their days off cancelled.

Trump was greeted at the palace by British Prime Minster Theresa May, whose government has been rocked by resignations from ongoing tumult over Brexit, the nation’s contentious vote to leave the European Union.

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Jack Taylor / Getty Images Protesters chant and wave placards during a demonstration outside Winfield House, the London residence of U.S. ambassador Woody Johnson, where President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump stayed Thursday night.