Brits, especially Londoners, love a good march and mass demonstration. It's an excuse to get out doors and mingle and express one's political passions. There was never any doubt that a state visit by Trump would trigger headline-grabbing loud, massive protests. He may have pictured himself riding around imperiously with the Queen, waving from her golden carriage, but his security detail was probably preparing for the worst possible situation that's ever confronted an American president traveling abroad.Now it looks like Trump will be the only president in over 6 decades not to meet Queen Elizabeth. It was obvious that after Trump's ugly, denigrating tweets against London's popular mayor after the terrorist attack, that a face saving way to dis-invite him would have to be found... quickly. The unexpected catastrophic losses last week for Theresa May's Conservative Party can be traced to many causes... and utter disgust for Trump is one of them. Sunday Jeremy Corbyn tweeted what most Brits think of the cancellation of Trump's trip to their capital. (Remember, way back in February, 312,000 Brits signed a petition demanding that Trump to be barred from even entering the U.K.)The cover story is that Señor Trumpanzee called Theresa May and told her "he does not want to go ahead with a state visit to Britain until the British public supports him coming." That's likely to mean never. The scripted dance had him telling her that "he did not want to come if there were large-scale protests and his remarks in effect put the visit on hold for some time."
The call was made in recent weeks, according to a Downing Street adviser who was in the room. The statement surprised May, according to those present.The conversation in part explains why there has been little public discussion about a visit.May invited Trump to Britain seven days after his inauguration when she became the first foreign leader to visit him in the White House. She told a joint press conference she had extended an invitation from the Queen to Trump and his wife Melania to make a state visit later in the year and was “delighted that the president has accepted that invitation.”Many senior diplomats, including Lord Ricketts, the former national security adviser, said the invitation was premature, but impossible to rescind once made.Trump has named Woody Johnson, a Republican donor and owner of the New York Jets, as the new ambassador to the UK but has yet to nominate him formally. A large number of US ambassadorial positions remain unfilled worldwide largely due to the Trump team failing to make any formal nominations.The acting US ambassador to the UK, Lewis Lukens, a career diplomat, clashed with Trump last week by praising Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, for his strong leadership over the London Bridge and Borough Market terror attack.His remarks came just days after Trump criticised Khan for his response to the attack, misquoting the mayor’s message to Londoners not to be alarmed by the increased presence of armed police.Khan’s office pointed out Trump’s error later but the president responded by accusing London’s mayor of making a “pathetic excuse.” Khan then called on the UK government to cancel Trump’s invitation. No date had been fixed for the visit....The Foreign Office was disappointed when against its pleading Trump went ahead earlier this month with his plan to pull the US out of the Paris climate accord. The UK had lobbied hard for Trump not to take the decision, which has led to a wider break between the EU and the US.
May's office is now denying that Trump's visit is cancelled or postponed, just that no date has been set. And if no date has been set, how can it be postponed. If no date is ever set, how can it be cancelled. And maybe everyone will get lucky and he'll be impeached before anyone tries setting a date.
