Donald Trump came to town this week. Britain rolled out the
red carpet, the Queen was prevailed upon to meet POTUS and FLOTUS, and Theresa
May extolled the virtues of the ‘best alliance the world has ever known’.
I spent several hours in a news studio pontificating on his
visit. Was he interfering in British politics? Did he really just suggest the NHS
could form part of a ‘phenomenal’ trade deal? And what was the secret
assignation he had with Nigel Farage, spotted leaving the US ambassador’s
residence?
Trump dearly loves the pomp and ceremony laid on for his
visit. Yes, he may have been snubbed by several politicians who declined
invitations to meet him; even Meghan Markle got out of it by playing the
exhausted new mother card. (Perhaps she thought one person loudly demanding
her attention was enough). But meeting with the Queen (“a fantastic woman”) and
being the guest of honour at a State Banquet in Buckingham Palace clearly
soothed all ills.
Meanwhile protesters were denouncing him as racist, misogynistic,
and divisive. Not that Trump was aware – when asked at a press conference what
he thought of the demonstrations, he dismissed them as ‘fake news’.
Trump is rather like a battering ram, pummelling his way
through diplomacy, shattering global agreements and throwing out whatever thought
hits his brain at any given moment on Twitter.
Perhaps there’s a bright side. Perhaps it’s the wake-up call
the world needs, a warning that we have to stand together to maintain the international
order against such destructiveness.
But failing that, there's always humour. The Trump Baby Blimp
inflated over London during his visit is British satire at its best. Apparently,
it’s now joined the ranks of Dame Helen Mirren and Sir David Attenborough as a ‘national
treasure’.
Who knows what Trump thinks of it? In his book, it’s probably
fake news too.
