Pomp and 'Baby Trump' blimps: This is how London is welcoming Trump


Britain's outgoing prime minister and royal family are rolling out the red carpet for President Trump, who arrives in London on Monday for his first state visit to Britain. The rest of Britain? Well, this is how Sky News is teasing his visit:
Trump has already caused a row in Britain. He essentially endorsed former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson for prime minister, called Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, "nasty" — he tweeted an unequivocal denial, but The Sun has it on tape — and has "already humiliated outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May over Brexit and challenged her to be tougher in dealing with China's Huawei," Reuters says. Trump said he might meet with Johnson and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage — either meeting "would be seen as a snub for May" — and he suggested Britain "walk away" from the European Union, a nod toward an economically calamitous no-deal Brexit.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in an op-ed Sunday that Trump is "one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat" from politicians using "the same divisive tropes of the fascists of the 20th century to garner support." Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, who declined an invitation to Trump's lavish state banquet at Buckingham Palace, said "Trump's attempt to decide who will be Britain's next prime minister is an entirely unacceptable interference in our country's democracy."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And yes, the "Baby Trump" blimp featured in the Sky News preview will be out, flying in front of Britain's Parliament amid what protesters are calling a "carnival of resistance." Incidentally, Comcast bought Sky last year, beating Rupert Murdoch, who'd been trying to purchase a controlling stake for years. We'll never know how a Murdoch-owned Sky News would have welcomed Trump.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'Forever': Judy Blume's controversial novel gets a modern adaptation
The Explainer The Netflix series gives the 1975 novel all the trappings of modern teen life
-
Why does the GOP want to ban state-level AI regulation for a decade?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION House Republicans are pushing to block states from making their own AI laws for the next ten years, even as expert warn the results could be disastrous.
-
6 elegant Queen Anne Victorian homes
Feature Featuring original diamond-glass doors in New York and a registered historic landmark in Arkansas
-
Gabbard fires intelligence chiefs after Venezuela report
speed read Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has fired the top two officials leading the National Intelligence Council
-
Trump vows to lift Syria sanctions
speed read The move would help the new government stabilize the country following years of civil war
-
Senate rejects Trump's Library of Congress takeover
speed read Congress resisted the president's attempts to control 'the legislative branch's premier research body'
-
Hamas frees US hostage in deal sidelining Israel
speed read Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier, was the final living US citizen held by the militant group
-
White Afrikaners land in US as Trump-declared refugees
speed read An exception was made to Trump's near-total ban on admitting refugees for the white South Africans
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideast
speed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin
-
Trump, UK's Starmer outline first post-tariff deal
speed read President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer struck a 'historic' agreement to eliminate some of the former's imposed tariffs