Advertise On EU-Digest

Annual Advertising Rates

6/1/19

Trump creates diplomatic headache for U.K. even before state visit - by Rachel Elbaum

Britain and the U.S. may have a special relationship but President Donald Trump’s state visit will be a diplomatic balancing act for the U.K., where Trump is deeply unpopular.

Even before his arrival on British shores, the president caused a stir by wading into the contest to replace Theresa May as prime minister and criticising Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.

Trump's trip comes as the U.K. is facing its most significant crisis since the Second World War.

It is currently in the midst of a long and messy divorce from the European Union, the economic and political bloc it has belonged to for more than 40 years.

That divorce has now brought down a second prime minister in less than three years.

In an interview Friday with the British tabloid The Sun, Trump said Boris Johnson — the divisive populist and ex-foreign secretary who is favorite to replace May — would make an "excellent" prime minister.

"I think Boris would do a very good job. I think he would be excellent," Trump said.

The president also referred to the American-born Duchess of Sussex as "nasty" over comments she made in 2016 threatening to move to Canada if Trump won the White House.

Donald Trump is widely disliked in the U.K. He has a positive opinion rating of only 21 percent, according to YouGov, compared to 72 percent for former President Barack Obama.

But he told The Sun Friday that “I don’t imagine any U.S. president was ever closer to your great land.”

Note EU-Digest:  Most people in Britain and the EU are amazed of the the fact, why Britain doesn't postpone the visit of this antagonist and  anti-EU President of the US ?

Read more: Trump creates diplomatic headache for U.K. even before state visit

No comments: