Leaving behind an agitated trail of haters, Donald Trump has retired to his golf resort
It seems Donald Trump can’t go for a walk without being criticised. Sheena McKenzie, CNN, Saturday:
The British public and press did not appear amused with President Donald Trump walking in front of (the) Queen … with one royal commentator describing the awkward stroll as reminiscent of “wandering up and down a golf course”.
On social media, the reaction was incredulous. Halla Mohieddeen, a presenter on Scotland’s STV, wrote on Twitter:
Good grief. Queen Elizabeth pointed to the ground to show Trump where to walk and yet he still stepped and walked in front of her.
At least The Sydney Morning Herald didn’t think Trump should be put in the Tower of London:
Trump tormentors — even self-described “non-royalists” — took to Twitter … when Trump did something that could be interpreted as a faux pas. He didn’t grab her in a bear hug or trash her in a tweet as fake news … But he did keep her waiting for more than 10 minutes (which may not have been his fault), shook her hand instead of bowing, turned his back on her for a few seconds, and he left his jacket open and flapping and his too-long tie trailing.
Across the Atlantic, The Washington Post provided some context:
The Queen … is not known for public displays of affection. She surprised many people in 2012 when she was seen placing an arm affectionately around Michelle Obama. Obama reciprocated, and the two stood arm in arm for a short while. At the time, author Charles Mosley described the interaction as “astounding” and told CNN: “The big deal is that the Queen is an almost sacred person” … In 1992, former Australian prime minister Paul Keating was heavily criticised for placing his hand on (her) lower back. British newspapers at the time referred to him as the “Lizard of Oz” after his uncouth behaviour.
In an interview with London’s The Sun, Trump hit out at immigration into Europe:
Take a look at the terrorism that is taking place. Look at what is going on in London. I think he (London mayor Sadiq Khan) has done a very bad job on terrorism. I think he has done a bad job on crime, if you look, all of the horrible things going on there, with all of the crime that is being brought in.
Khan told The Sun he would not rise to Trump’s “beastly” accusation that he did “a terrible job” after the 2017 terror attacks:
It’s for President Trump to explain why he has singled me out for being responsible for these acts of terrorism, and no other mayor or no other leader. I’m also quite clear that although there has been an increase in violent crime across England and Wales, including London, over the last four years, I don’t think the rise in crime is because of immigration. It’s for Trump to explain why he thinks there is a link.
Labour MP David Lammy accused Trump of being a racist on Twitter:
The real reason Trump blames my friend Sadiq Khan for the terror attacks last year is simple. He hates that London chose a Muslim mayor. The President is racist. He does not deserve to meet our Queen.
Trump’s UK visit was just a warm-up act. The ABC website, yesterday:
Two days before a high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump has played golf and tweeted from one of his namesake resorts, blaming his predecessor for Russian election meddling and lashing out at the free press from foreign soil.