British officials are preparing for President Donald Trump's state visit to Tuesday — complete with unprecedented security, fact-checking TV specials and its own brand of pre-censoring. According to The Independent, top British brass are warning:warning: "Don't mention the 'E' word!"
The "E" word refers to the late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
"One word that no one involved will want to hear is 'Epstein,'" the British online newspaper says. "But they assuredly will. The journalist who first mentions the 'E-word' at a joint Trump-Starmer press conference should immediately be nominated for a special prize."
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Avoiding the subject will be hard, though. Just last week, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson after a cache of emails showed supportive messages he sent after Epstein plead guilty to sex offenses.
Prince Andrew's ties to Epstein likewise loom large over Trump’s state visit.
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"The uncomfortable chill that will descend at the mention of Jeffrey Epstein from the media will be unbearable for those present and tangible even to a television audience. It will be quite the moment," The Independent says.
The pressure is on for PM Starmer.
"How well Starmer copes with the inevitable gaffes and moments of mortification will be as crucial as anything else to his survival this week," says The Independent. "But for the prime minister what would normally be a relaxed time when parliament is in recess, and gentle diplomacy takes over, will instead be the political equivalent of being on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! – endless ordeals punctuated by ritual humiliation, all accompanied by severe indigestion. Good luck in the jungle that is the Trump state visit, Sir Keir – you’ll need it."