SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
People taking part in a march against Trump's immigration ban last month in London. (Photo: Alisdare Hickson/flickr/cc)
Cowardly Trump Delays UK State Visit to Dodge Protests
New reporting by the Sun says Trump 'wants the heat to die down'
Mar 01, 2017
President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May have pushed back his official state visit to the United Kingdom to allow the real estate mogul to dodge protests over his administration's right-wing policies, new reporting reveals.
Originally set for June, the visit had sparked uproar because of Trump's now-halted Muslim ban, and a petition to stop the state visit referencing Trump's "well documented misogyny and vulgarity" has gathered the signatures of over 1.8 million Britons.
The U.K.'s Sun, which first reported on the delay, writes:
A senior [U.K.] government source said: "Trump still really wants to come this year, but he wants the heat to die down a bit first.
The two made the decision after Trump told May about his worries in a phone call two weeks ago, the news outlet writes.
The U.K.'s Independent adds:
Trump's election and resulting policies have received widespread criticism from politicians, who have threatened to try and ban him from parliament entirely. The decision to invite the President to the U.K. has also been greeted by some of the largest street protests in recent years, and activists have promised to protest any trip that Mr. Trump does eventually make.
The Sun reports that the visit has now been provisionally scheduled for October 5 to 8, a time when the Parliament will be in recess. Trump would therefore not have to face any Members of Parliament protesting the visit.
For the Stop Trump Coalition, the delay indicates the two leaders "are running scared"--and that the protests work.
"Trump's visit will be delayed until at least October to 'let the heat die down.' But we promise that it's only going to get hotter," the coalition said in a statement Wednesday. "The opposition to this state visit, and to Trump's policies, is growing every day. Whether he comes in Spring or Autumn, or to London, Birmingham, or Scotland, we will meet him in huge numbers to say that the politics of hate and prejudice are not welcome here."
On top that, the coalition says, the prime minister must herself stop pushing policies that echo those of the Trump.
"Theresa May has badly miscalculated. The British people don't want this racist, misogynist billionaire anywhere near them. At the same time as showing our support to all the people in the U.S. battling this dangerous president, we will also show our own Prime Minister that she has no mandate to draw us closer to Trump or the other extreme right-wing leaders she is currently courting," the group continued.
"This was never just about the state visit," the statement reads. "Every day the British government gets closer to Trump in its policies--from refusing to guarantee the basic rights of EU migrants, to ending the Dubs Amendment scheme for child refugees. We urge people to join a growing movement that fights for the rights of migrants and minorities--for an inclusive and democratic society."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May have pushed back his official state visit to the United Kingdom to allow the real estate mogul to dodge protests over his administration's right-wing policies, new reporting reveals.
Originally set for June, the visit had sparked uproar because of Trump's now-halted Muslim ban, and a petition to stop the state visit referencing Trump's "well documented misogyny and vulgarity" has gathered the signatures of over 1.8 million Britons.
The U.K.'s Sun, which first reported on the delay, writes:
A senior [U.K.] government source said: "Trump still really wants to come this year, but he wants the heat to die down a bit first.
The two made the decision after Trump told May about his worries in a phone call two weeks ago, the news outlet writes.
The U.K.'s Independent adds:
Trump's election and resulting policies have received widespread criticism from politicians, who have threatened to try and ban him from parliament entirely. The decision to invite the President to the U.K. has also been greeted by some of the largest street protests in recent years, and activists have promised to protest any trip that Mr. Trump does eventually make.
The Sun reports that the visit has now been provisionally scheduled for October 5 to 8, a time when the Parliament will be in recess. Trump would therefore not have to face any Members of Parliament protesting the visit.
For the Stop Trump Coalition, the delay indicates the two leaders "are running scared"--and that the protests work.
"Trump's visit will be delayed until at least October to 'let the heat die down.' But we promise that it's only going to get hotter," the coalition said in a statement Wednesday. "The opposition to this state visit, and to Trump's policies, is growing every day. Whether he comes in Spring or Autumn, or to London, Birmingham, or Scotland, we will meet him in huge numbers to say that the politics of hate and prejudice are not welcome here."
On top that, the coalition says, the prime minister must herself stop pushing policies that echo those of the Trump.
"Theresa May has badly miscalculated. The British people don't want this racist, misogynist billionaire anywhere near them. At the same time as showing our support to all the people in the U.S. battling this dangerous president, we will also show our own Prime Minister that she has no mandate to draw us closer to Trump or the other extreme right-wing leaders she is currently courting," the group continued.
"This was never just about the state visit," the statement reads. "Every day the British government gets closer to Trump in its policies--from refusing to guarantee the basic rights of EU migrants, to ending the Dubs Amendment scheme for child refugees. We urge people to join a growing movement that fights for the rights of migrants and minorities--for an inclusive and democratic society."
President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May have pushed back his official state visit to the United Kingdom to allow the real estate mogul to dodge protests over his administration's right-wing policies, new reporting reveals.
Originally set for June, the visit had sparked uproar because of Trump's now-halted Muslim ban, and a petition to stop the state visit referencing Trump's "well documented misogyny and vulgarity" has gathered the signatures of over 1.8 million Britons.
The U.K.'s Sun, which first reported on the delay, writes:
A senior [U.K.] government source said: "Trump still really wants to come this year, but he wants the heat to die down a bit first.
The two made the decision after Trump told May about his worries in a phone call two weeks ago, the news outlet writes.
The U.K.'s Independent adds:
Trump's election and resulting policies have received widespread criticism from politicians, who have threatened to try and ban him from parliament entirely. The decision to invite the President to the U.K. has also been greeted by some of the largest street protests in recent years, and activists have promised to protest any trip that Mr. Trump does eventually make.
The Sun reports that the visit has now been provisionally scheduled for October 5 to 8, a time when the Parliament will be in recess. Trump would therefore not have to face any Members of Parliament protesting the visit.
For the Stop Trump Coalition, the delay indicates the two leaders "are running scared"--and that the protests work.
"Trump's visit will be delayed until at least October to 'let the heat die down.' But we promise that it's only going to get hotter," the coalition said in a statement Wednesday. "The opposition to this state visit, and to Trump's policies, is growing every day. Whether he comes in Spring or Autumn, or to London, Birmingham, or Scotland, we will meet him in huge numbers to say that the politics of hate and prejudice are not welcome here."
On top that, the coalition says, the prime minister must herself stop pushing policies that echo those of the Trump.
"Theresa May has badly miscalculated. The British people don't want this racist, misogynist billionaire anywhere near them. At the same time as showing our support to all the people in the U.S. battling this dangerous president, we will also show our own Prime Minister that she has no mandate to draw us closer to Trump or the other extreme right-wing leaders she is currently courting," the group continued.
"This was never just about the state visit," the statement reads. "Every day the British government gets closer to Trump in its policies--from refusing to guarantee the basic rights of EU migrants, to ending the Dubs Amendment scheme for child refugees. We urge people to join a growing movement that fights for the rights of migrants and minorities--for an inclusive and democratic society."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.