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."
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.
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.
-
September 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants