President Donald Trump's visit to the UK has attracted unprecedented controversy, with hundreds of thousands expected to protest his arrival.
But Trump has also divided opinion among Britain's leading politicians. To mark his first official visit to our shores as president of the United States, we've collected some quotes from UK politicians to help decipher between Trump's friends and foes. From Twitter beefs to secret admissions of admiration, UK politicians have said it all.
Boris Johnson.
Britain’s former foreign secretary was once described by former Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg as “Donald Trump with a thesaurus". Suspiciously, his views on Trump have apparently changed a great deal since his election victory.
Before Trump's election:
I think he's betraying a quite stupefying ignorance that makes him frankly unfit to hold the office of President of the United States [...] The only reason I wouldn't go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump
After Trump’s election:
I am increasingly admiring of Donald Trump. I have become more and more convinced that there is method in his madness.
Imagine Trump doing Brexit. He’d go in bloody hard… There’d be all sorts of breakdowns, all sorts of chaos. Everyone would think he’d gone mad. But actually you might get somewhere. It’s a very, very good thought.
Emily Thornberry.
Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry did not mince her words when questioned on her dislike for the stable-genius-in-chief.
He is an asteroid of awfulness that has fallen on this world.
I think that he is a danger and I think that he is a racist.
Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg has been consistent in his admiration for Trump, stating that he’d “almost certainly” have voted for him. He also urged Britain to treat the president with the utmost respect.
Our relationship with the United States is our most important foreign relationship and whoever the president of the United States is, it is in our interest to treat him with the greatest respect and courtesy.
And if that is what Mr Trump wants to do, yes of course it would be sensible to lay out the reddest of red carpets for him.
He is a major ally. We have so many interests in common.
Michael Gove.
Environment secretary Gove is in agreement with Trump in supporting Brexit. Following Trump’s election victory, Gove bagged the first UK interview with him, which contained this gem.
His skin glows a sodium orange, his hair is blonder than any human you will have encountered and his clothes are in primary colours so bold they make everyone else in the room seem dowdy.
Nigel Farage.
Everyone knows Farage and Trump are thick as thieves. Farage addressed Trump’s campaign rallies in 2016 and Trump has even called himself “Mr Brexit”. This closeness lead Farage to defend Trump’s infamous Access Hollywood tape, in which he was heard bragging about allegedly sexually assaulting women.
Look, this is alpha-male boasting. It’s the kind of thing, if we are being honest, that men do. They sit around and have a drink and they talk like this.
By the way, quite a lot of women say things amongst themselves that they would not want to see on Fox News or the front page of a newspaper.
David Cameron.
Former prime minister David Cameron pulled no punches in condemning Trump before he became president.
I think his remarks are divisive, stupid and wrong and I think if he came to visit our country I think it'd unite us all against him.
Nicola Sturgeon.
Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon also expressed her opposition to Trump’s campaign tactics.
I never want to be, I am not prepared to be, a politician that maintains a diplomatic silence in the face of attitudes of racism, sexism, misogyny or intolerance of any kind. I hope that president-elect Trump turns out to be a president very different to the kind of candidate he was and reaches out to those who felt vilified by his campaign.
Jeremy Corbyn.
In words he may regret two years later, in 2016 Corbyn suggested Trump, as a presidential candidate, should visit the UK to learn about our multicultural society.
We manage to have a coherent, multifaith, multicultural society in London, in Birmingham, in Leicester, all parts of this country. He's welcome to come and see. He might learn something
David Lammy.
Vocal Trump opponent Lammy, who before becoming the Labour MP for Tottenham was the first black Briton to study at Harvard Law School, is set to protest Trump when he visits the UK on 13 July.
Trump is not only a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath. He is also a profound threat to the international order that has been the foundation of Western progress for so long. It is because I cherish and champion those values that this Friday, I will march with London against Donald Trump.
Caroline Lucas.
Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas did not hold back in her criticisms of Trump, or of Theresa May who she accused of enabling his behaviour.
Aren't these the actions of someone who doesn't yet have the experience, who is learning very fast in a new job?
No, they are the actions of a racist bigot and we have to stand up to bullies and that is what the UK should be doing.
Theresa May is so worried about being friendless after Brexit that she will accept any kind of relationship with any kind of bigot around the world.
wow! Those Brits do not hold back, bless their hearts. I would not like to be in Trump's shoes. They will not be afraid to give him the rough side of their tongues. Somehow he will turn it around and say they love him and the Queen admires him and his stand on immigration.
ReplyDeleteThe guy has tough skin like an alligator.
Enjoyed the post BAW
Love Shadow
The Brits is right , Cheeto is full of horse poop and they know Cheeto / Putin is hooked at the hip yes he will try to make the world believe they love him ... they know he lid .
ReplyDeleteThank you
Love BAW
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