Protests, diplomatic backflips mark Trump’s visit

President Donald Trump closed out a turbulent 30hour visit to England on Friday that featured massive protests, moments of pageantry and startling diplomatic backflips as the U.S. leader tried to smooth over controversies on trade, Brexit and his critical assessment of British Prime Minister Theresa May.

After a breach of protocol in bashing his hosts, Trump was on his best behavior as he wrapped up the visit, insisting the U.S.-U.K. relationship is at “the highest level of special” before dropping by Windsor Castle for tea with the queen and heading off for a weekend at one of his golf courses in Scotland. He left a trail of double-talk and chaos that has become a pattern in the U.S. president’s overseas travels.

Even Trump’s reception by Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle became a dramatic split-screen event, as the Justice Department in Washington simultaneously announced indictments against 12 Russian military intelligence officers for 2016 election interference, charges issued just days before Trump’s summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Monday.

Trump’s visit to the U.K. was overshadowed by an explosive interview in The Sun newspaper in which he blasted May, blamed London’s mayor for terrorist attacks against the city and argued that Europe was “losing its culture” because of immigration.

The president who prides himself on not apologizing did his own version of backpedaling at a news conference with May on Friday, seeking to blame his favorite foil for any perceived friction with May, whom he lavished with praise after having questioned her leadership.