If it’s true that being a diplomat means thinking twice, then Donald Trump isn’t trying to make friends in politics but will certainly finish his presidency with plenty of enemies. His thuggish style, coarse manners and rude statements herald the apocalypse, not just for diplomacy, but for friendly relations with his NATO partners. How an observer suffers as he watches the queen, who is all protocol and etiquette, receive a character who would kick a royal guard’s ass if the guard looked at him the wrong way. Does it really make sense to call London Mayor Sadiq Khan “dumb,” “incompetent” and “foolishly nasty” before landing on Air Force One? Who would insult Meghan Markle in an interview with The Sun before being received by the royal family? How can you encourage Boris Johnson to lead the country when his rival Theresa May is still the prime minister? One can only understand Trump as being the closest thing to what Queen Elizabeth would call a bull in a china shop. He doesn’t care much about wreaking diplomatic havoc.
Among those who have declined an invitation to the official state banquet are Mayor Khan (who has classified Trump as a “global threat”) Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow. One eats well at Buckingham Palace, but with Trump there, one could find the feast hard to digest.
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