DONALD Trump has accepted an invitation from the Queen to make a formal state visit to the UK – and Whitehall Sources have told the BBC they expect the new President to come north of the Border and visit Scotland during his time on this side of the Atlantic.
The last time Trump was in Scotland, when just a candidate, he faced protests outside his golf course.
Last weekend, the Women’s March that saw thousands take to the streets in Washington spawned sister rallies in British cities including Edinburgh and London.
When Trump comes to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen, he will likely be met with mass protests.
Scotland got a mention during the President’s press conference with Theresa May yesterday, as Trump spoke about his meeting with the Prime Minister, his first official meeting with a foreign head of state.
“The special relationship between our two countries has been one of the great forces in history for justice and for peace and by the way, my mother was born in Scotland – Stornoway, which is serious Scotland,” Trump told the press.
It was a slightly subdued, almost diplomatic Trump who appeared alongside May in the White House. His statement was very carefully read off a piece of paper. The only time he came to life was when he was caught off guard by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg. May, as is fairly standard for British politicians, gave her first question to the BBC.
Kuenssberg asked Trump: “Mr President, you’ve said before torture works, you’ve praised Russia, you’ve said you want to ban some Muslims from coming to America, you’ve suggested there should be punishments for abortion... for many people in Britain those sound like alarming beliefs.
“What do you say to our viewers at home who are worried about some of your views and worried about you becoming leader of the free world?”
“This was your choice of a question?” Trump said to May, who laughed awkwardly. “There goes that relationship!” he added.
Oddly, Trump said he would allow himself to be overruled on torture by his defence secretary, General Mattis. The General says torture does not work, and although Trump does not agree, he will allow Mattis to take the lead.
“[Mattis] will override because I’m giving him that power. ... I’m going to rely on him,” Trump said.
“I happen to feel that it does work ... but I am going with our leaders.”
It was a brief press conference, lasting about 18 minutes, with short statements from both leaders and then two questions from US journalists, and two from UK journalists.
By contrast the last joint press conference between Barack Obama and David Cameron lasted 55 minutes.
It was in many ways the start of the working relationship. On a post-Brexit deal, all the Prime Minister would say was that a trade agreement between the UK and US was “in the national interest in both our countries”
Trump reiterated that he thought Brexit would be a “tremendous asset” for the UK.
There was an odd moment when he claimed he had predicted Brexit when cutting the ribbon at his golf course in Turnberry.
“Brexit was an example of what was to come, and I happened to be in Scotland at Turnberry cutting a ribbon when Brexit happened. And we had a vast amount of press there. And I said, Brexit – this was the day before, as you probably remember – I said Brexit is going to happen. I was scorned."
He added: “and lo and behold, the following day it happened.”
The problem with that statement was that Trump was in Turnberry on June 24, the day after the Brexit vote. He spoke to reporters around an hour after David Cameron resigned.
“I think it’s a great thing that’s happened. It’s an amazing vote, very historic,” he said then, adding that the result showed the people of Britain had taken their country back.
There was another odd moment before the press conference, when the leaders were photographed holding hands as they walked down the White House colonnade. May did not look terribly comfortable.
Back in the White House, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to Nato, with May saying that Trump said he was “100 per cent behind Nato”.
Much to the concern of Western military leaders, Trump recently called the transatlantic alliance “obsolete” and talked of letting it go, saying he was angry that other members had not pulled their weight.
When asked how well May and Trump would get along, given their very different personalities, Trump replied: “I’m not as brash as you might think.”
He added: “I think we’re going to get along. “I’m a people person and I think you are too, Theresa.
“I think we’re going to have a fantastic relationship.”
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