Royal treatment for Donald Trump after state visit gets off to a testy start
President Donald Trump and Queen Elizabeth II make a toast during a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace. Photo: Getty Photo: Getty
US President Donald Trump has been showered with pomp and royal pageantry after touching down in London for an official state visit, but there was one noticeable absence from a lavish dinner at Buckingham Palace.
Mr Trump and First Lady Melania have already lunched with the Queen Elizabeth II, laid a wreath to the Unknown Soldier at Westminster Abbey and shared tea with Prince Charles at his home, Clarence House.
They later attended a palace banquet of 170 guests hosted by Queen, where the men wore white ties or national dress while feasting from historic dinner sets that included six types of glasses for the accompanying wines.
However one person not on the guest list for the sumptuous feast was London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who Mr Trump angrily branded “a stone cold loser” ahead of his visit.
Mr Khan said he was not invited, while Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn boycotted the dinner.
New mother Meghan Markle, whom Mr Trump denied calling “nasty” ahead of his visit, was also not in attendance.
Shortly before landing in the UK, Mr Trump tweeted that the London Mayor had done a terrible job as city leader and had been “foolishly ‘nasty’ to the visiting President”.
.@SadiqKhan, who by all accounts has done a terrible job as Mayor of London, has been foolishly “nasty” to the visiting President of the United States, by far the most important ally of the United Kingdom. He is a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2019
The latest comment in their long-running feud comes after Mr Khan said the UK should not be “rolling out the red carpet” for Mr Trump.
Mr Khan said UK Prime Minister Theresa May should tell the President he was “wrong on a whole host of issues”, including his views on women and immigration.
The spat may have been reignited by City Hall, which again allowed protesters to fly a giant inflatable Trump Baby during Mr Trump’s visit.
Responding to Mr Trump’s latest criticism, a spokesman for the Mayor said: “This is much more serious than childish insults which should be beneath the President of the United States. Sadiq is representing the progressive values of London and our country…”
Queen Elizabeth II, US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump view American items in the Royal collection at Buckingham Palace.Photo: Getty
Since landing on UK soil, Mr Trump has fired off a series of tweets on other issues ranging from attacks on Mexico to slamming CNN’s “fake news”.
He has also hinted at the possibility of a “big Trade Deal” with the UK after praising the two countries’ “strong relationship”.
“London part of trip is going really well. The Queen and the entire Royal family have been fantastic,” Mr Trump tweeted.
“The relationship with the United Kingdom is very strong. Tremendous crowds of well wishers and people that love our Country.”
London part of trip is going really well. The Queen and the entire Royal family have been fantastic. The relationship with the United Kingdom is very strong. Tremendous crowds of well wishers and people that love our Country. Haven’t seen any protests yet, but I’m sure the….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2019
The royal visit is the first leg of a week-long, largely ceremonial trip that will also include commemorating the 75th anniversary of the WWII D-Day landings at the Normandy American Cemetery in France.
It comes at an unstable time in British politics, with Prime Minister Theresa May, who he will meet at Downing Street, stepping down as leader of the Conservative Party on June 7 over the country’s Brexit turmoil.
Britain’s relationship with the United States is an enduring alliance, but some British voters see Mr Trump as crude, volatile and opposed to their values.
Hundreds of thousands of people protested against him during a trip last year and a blimp depicting Mr Trump as a snarling, nappy-clad baby will fly outside Britain’s parliament during the visit.
The giant baby trump balloon flies over London’s Parliament Square in July 2018. Photo: Getty
Other protesters plan a “carnival of resistance” in central London and have received the backing of Jeremy Corbyn, the socialist leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party who declined an invitation to attend the state banquet.
-with AAP
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