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

(Image credit: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images)

published 3 June 2019

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."

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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.

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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.