World leaders line up to meet with Trump
British PM slated to visit later this week
World leaders from Mexico, Canada and Israel had their first conversations with President Trump over the weekend, ahead of his first face-to-face visit with British Prime Minister Theresa May later this week.
While foreign policy analysts are unsure whether the new president will charge ahead with promises he made during the campaign, they expect Trump to transfer his business tactics to the diplomatic negotiating table.
“This is the week where everyone puts their cards on the table,” said Brian Winter, vice president for policy at Americas Society/ Council of the Americas. “He’s a deal maker, and he will take a very tough position at the beginning and then negotiate over time, because that’s the way he does business.”
His first weekend in the White House included phone calls with the leaders of America’s neighbors: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. On Sunday, Trump talked with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and described the call as “very nice.”
Afterward, Netanyahu’s office said he had a “very warm conversation” with Trump and accepted an invitation to visit the White House next month. No date was set yet. They discussed the international nuclear deal with Iran, which both men have harshly criticized, and the Palestinian issue, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement
Britian’s May, who will likely be the first foreign leader to visit in person with the new president on Friday, will also meet with congressional Republicans Thursday at their strategy conference in Philadelphia.
Her meeting with Trump comes at a tricky time for both countries. May wants to shore up a new trade deal through the “special relationship” with the U.S. as the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union. She’ll be facing a Trump administration that vowed to adopt protectionist, “America first” stances that could limit such deals.
May is also expected to defend the value of belonging to NATO, after Trump has publicly questioned the usefulness of the military alliance. May said she is prepared to stand up against any “unacceptable” comments that Trump might make about women.
Trump is scheduled to meet in person with Mexico’s Peña Nieto on Jan. 31, when the two leaders will have a long list of issues to discuss.