Trump Reportedly Won’t Visit Britain Until He Gets Better Press Coverage

President Trump is apparently saying that he will delay his expected state visit to the United Kingdom until he gets better coverage from the British press:

Donald Trump reportedly told Theresa May he will not make a state visit to the UK until he is guaranteed a “better reception”.

The US President asked the Prime Minister to prepare a “warm welcome” before he agrees to set a date, it has been claimed.

The pair spoke on the phone to discuss the planned state visit, which has now been postponed until next year.

“I haven’t had great coverage out there lately, Theresa,” Mr Trump told Ms May, according to a transcript of the conversation seen by The Sun.

Ms May replied: “Well, you know what the British press are like.”

But Mr Trump added: “I still want to come, but I’m in no rush.

“So, if you can fix it for me, it would make things a lot easier.

“When I know I’m going to get a better reception, I’ll come and not before.”

Over 1.8 million people signed a petition to prevent Mr Trump from being honoured with a formal state visit.

The petition reads: “Donald Trump should be allowed to enter the UK in his capacity as head of the US Government, but he should not be invited to make an official State Visit because it would cause embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen.”

Assuming these reports are true, and given the way that Trump has treated the media here in the United States there’s little reason to believe that they aren’t, it would appear that he fails to understand how a free press is supposed to work. Additionally, I would note that if he thinks that complaining about the British press is going to intimidate them somehow he obviously doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.

 

FILED UNDER: 2018 Election, US Politics, , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. CSK says:

    He was also upset that the British government turned down his request to be conveyed to Buckingham Palace in the queen’s personal state coach.

  2. OzarkHillbilly says:

    Awwwwww….. Did poor wittle Donnie get his feewings hurwt? Here Baby, here’s a sucker to make it all better.

  3. CSK says:

    And how the hell is May supposed to guarantee him better press coverage?

  4. Stormy Dragon says:

    This is probably the best thing to happen to May in months. Having Trump actually come would have been a disaster, but on the other hand having to withdraw the invitation and explain why would have be very undiplomatic.

    Now crybaby Donny’s solved the problem without her having to do anything.

  5. @CSK: The Saudi Arabian way.

  6. CSK says:

    The Brit tabloids will have a field day with this. It’s already started.

    Headline from The Sun:

    “Donald Trump Begs Theresa May to Fix a ‘Warm Welcome’ for his State Visit.”

  7. MarkedMan says:

    If this is true it is bizarre even by Trump’s standards.

    I’m reminded of when Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Sec Gen of UN) got all offended because Saturday Night Live and other comedy shows were making fun of his name. I believe he lodged a formal complaint with the US government. Talk about not understanding how things work in a country with a free press.

    As a side note, during that time, I remember listening to an American academic discussing something about Egypt on NPR. Suddenly, apropos of nothing (as I remember it) the academic plunks in an awkward aside about how disrespectful it was to make fun of BBG’s name and how the US government should do something about it. This was an American speaking. And I realized, ‘Oh he’s just saying that so he can maintain access’. It changed my perspective on how to listen to people talk.

  8. Mr. Prosser says:

    May could be out of her job by this fall. Her replacement could rescind the invitation or simply ignore it and solve the whole problem.

  9. al-Ameda says:

    Donald Trump reportedly told Theresa May he will not make a state visit to the UK until he is guaranteed a “better reception”.

    Wait a minute; Does he think May is Putin?

    President Orange Snowflake

  10. Liberal Capitalist says:

    Donald Trump reportedly told Theresa May he will not make a state visit to the UK until he is guaranteed a “better reception”.

    So, I think that means that Trump will never take a taxpayer funded trip to the UK, and spend our taxpayer dollars to see a play in the West End, while accomplishing nothing.

    Hmmm… I’m O.K. with that !

    Thanks Trump !

  11. CSK says:

    @Liberal Capitalist:

    The last thing Trump would do would be to go to the West End and sit through a play, any more than he’d read a book or visit a museum.

  12. grumpy realist says:

    Considering that this was put out by the Sun, I’d interpret it with a grain of salt approximately the size of one solar mass.

  13. CSK says:

    @grumpy realist:

    The linked article is from The Independent.

  14. OzarkHillbilly says:

    @CSK: He might read a comic book.

  15. Just 'nutha ig'nint cracker says:

    @OzarkHillbilly: Don’t be knocking comic books. The plots, characterizations, and dialogue are far beyond anything that Trump would read and understand.

    I DO think he looks at the pictures, though. Especially for characters like Harley Quinn and Wonder Woman.

  16. Just 'nutha ig'nint cracker says:

    @Just ‘nutha ig’nint cracker: In fact, I’m pretty convinced that I wouldn’t want to touch a comic book that he’d been reading,

  17. CSK says:

    @Just ‘nutha ig’nint cracker:

    Yeah, The True Adventures of Supertrump.

  18. grumpy realist says:

    @CSK: But they’re reporting something that the Sun claims to have seen. Hence my suspicion.

    BTW, there was a great comment over on the Indy article covering this:

    Take him to the UK bit of EPCOT – he won’t know the difference.

    I guffawed.

  19. CSK says:

    @grumpy realist:

    But it has the ring of truth about it. This sounds like the sort of thing Trump would say.

  20. Not the IT Dept. says:

    The only smidgeon of doubt I have is: how would he know what the British press is saying about him?

  21. CSK says:

    @Not the IT Dept.:

    The same way he knows what little he knows about anything else: He has someone Google it and then report back to him.

    And “the shows” he spends all day watching probably mention it.

  22. OzarkHillbilly says:

    @Just ‘nutha ig’nint cracker: Your right. My bad. Most comic books are way above his level.

  23. Pete S says:

    @grumpy realist: I love the Epcot idea. Let him ride Mission Space first and tell him they resurrected the Concorde for him so the flight to Britain is short. He would never know.

  24. Bill says:

    Seriously Doug, anything that comes from the Sun Newspaper creators of the headline- Freddie Star ate my hamster should not be mentioned at this blog. Credibility factor on a scale of 1-10 here= Minus twenty.