Politically, it is not a great time for the United Kingdom to be hosting guests. Prime minister Theresa May has just stepped down, Brexit has been delayed until October and last week’s European parliamentary elections show that the country is still deeply divided. Now, the British capital is receiving a visit from American president Donald Trump, who is known for rubbing salt in national wounds and offering unsolicited advice.
Before Air Force One landed in London, Trump made sure that the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, knew that he was aware that he had criticized his state visit invitation, tweeting that the mayor was a “stone cold loser” — while misspelling the mayor’s name. In return, Khan filmed a message with Elle UK telling Donald Trump about how dangerous the current wave of rollbacks on reproductive rights in the United States can be for women. He wasn’t the only Londoner who refused to roll out the welcome wagon.
“Resist Trump” banners were unfurled over the city’s Vauxhall Bridge for the president’s arrival, a six-meter-high cartoon baby blimp of Trump flew in Parliament Square, and a phallus next to his name was carved into a field next to London’s Stansted Airport. But according to the Facebook event from the group Together Against Trump, the real show of discontent will happen in Trafalgar Square tomorrow as more than 8,000 people have said they will be attending a protest, while a further 34,000 say they are interested in joining.
Still, not everyone is against the American head of state, a “handful” of Trump supporters gathered outside Buckingham Palace today, where the president will be having dinner with the Queen according to the Independent. One member or the royal family who will be absent for the event is Meghan Markle, who the president called “nasty” in an interview with The Sun. The American duchess is citing maternity leave to explain her absence from the state dinner.