TRUMP GETS A BANQUET
WITH THE QUEEN ON FIRST DAY OF STATE VISIT
LONDON - President Donald Trump finally had his most excellent state visit. He was greeted by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace on Monday, beginning three days of feting and carefully calibrated diplomacy. The royals served lunch, showed off their old stuff, poured tea, and hosted a lavish banquet with the good china. And nothing went wrong.
The British monarch and her retinue are very good at this, and this is why Britons keep them around. Her majesty and her family - known to insiders as the Corporation - are highly skilled professionals in the deployment of soft power. They are players.
Trump won’t get to stay overnight at the palace (renovations were cited). And he didn’t get a golden carriage ride down the Mall (security risk). But he did land on the lawn at Buckingham Palace in Marine One. And how awesome is that? The lawn. No protesters.
The news media naturally focused on the morning’s tweets. Trump complained about CNN and insulted London Mayor Sadiq Khan, calling him a “stone cold loser” - and short.
But Trump always complains about CNN, and his hostile exchanges with Khan are part of a long-running, predictable squabble - and probably serve to stoke both men’s bases.
At the banquet on Monday night, Trump - in white tie and tails - called the queen a “a great, great woman.”
In her speech, the queen said that “as we face the new challenges of the 21st Century, the anniversary of D-day reminds us of all that our countries have achieved together.”
On Tuesday, things will get more political, as Trump meets with Prime Minister Theresa May and holds a joint news conference. But Monday was all about the royal treatment. Trump attended the banquet along with first lady Melania Trump, four of his five children, and son-in-law Jared Kushner. The president and first lady were greeted at satellite Stansted Airport by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt - but not by May, who is being ousted over Brexit. This official state visit coincides with a furious contest to replace May. It is all a bit awkward. Not that the British will mention it, much. There were no tremendous crowds. Britain is deeply anti-trump. An Ipsos MORI poll last year found 19 percent of Brits had a favourable view of him, while 68 percent had an unfavourable view.
Some of that sentiment was visible Monday. Amnesty International unfurled banners from London bridges with the captions “Resist Trump,” “Resist Racism” and “Resist Sexism.”
A major demonstration is scheduled for Tuesday, when of thousands of protesters are expected to pack London’s Trafalgar Square. A giant balloon depicting Trump as a diaperclad baby is expected to take flight, and opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is scheduled to address the crowds.
Mayor Khan, a Muslim and the son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver, has become the rhetorical leader of London’s resistance. He vocally objected to “rolling out the red carpet” for Trump with a state visit. And, writing in the Guardian newspaper on Sunday, he said Trump used the language of the “fascists of the 20th century.”
As his plane was touching down, Trump responded by criticizing Khan’s record as mayor and mocking his height. (Khan is 5-foot-6.) Trump also misspelled his name.
“Kahn reminds me very much of our very dumb and incompetent Mayor of NYC, de Blasio, who has also done a terrible job - only half his height. In any event, I look forward to being a great friend to the United Kingdom, and am looking very much forward to my visit. Landing now!”
Khan’s spokesman said such “childish insults” should be “beneath the president of the United States.”