"One of the many known unknowns, however, of a Trump state visit is what kind of Trump will show up when a microphone is placed in front of him. The US president is often a bundle of contradictions. During his first state visit in 2018 most UK diplomats said he was a picture of affability, yet he took it upon himself to conduct an interview with the Sun in which he insulted Theresa May, and said Boris Johnson would make a great prime minister."
"An added loose mooring will be the absence of the former UK ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson, who was dismissed for his connections to Jeffrey Epstein. Ambassadors are known to personally visit every site of every stop on a state visit. Their job is often quite literally to look round corners for what might be coming. Lord Mandelson, a stickler for detail, would have been poring over every angle of the state visit in conjunction with Buckingham Palace and the White House."
Donald Trump has repeatedly described Keir Starmer as a good man while other US far-right figures have attacked him. The form a Trump state visit will take is uncertain because the president is often unpredictable and prone to contradicting behaviour. During a previous state visit in 2018 Trump combined affability with impulsive public comments that caused offence. Starmer will likely have to tolerate criticism on issues such as free speech, recognition of Palestine, immigration, and domestic political shifts. Normal state-visit rules may not apply, and the absence of a diligent ambassador will reduce advance insight. Formal agreements on tech and nuclear cooperation are in place, but Starmer must choose how to allocate limited political capital.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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