'Potential embarrassment': Trump’s UK visit 'deliberately timed' to not offer him a speech

In mid-September, U.S. President Donald Trump will be visiting the UK and meeting with British officials. But one thing he won't be doing on his trip, according to Telegraph reporters Ben Riley-Smith and Hannah Furness, is addressing Parliament.

"The date of the U.S. president's trip is being deliberately timed for mid-September when there is a parliamentary recess, handing the UK an excuse for not offering the speech," Riley-Smith and Furness explain in an article published on July 11. "Mr. Trump is also expected not to visit Buckingham Palace or enjoy a ceremonial carriage ride down the Mall in London — features of many past state visits from world leaders."

Earlier this year, Trump met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his visit to the U.S. The UK presently has a Labour government under Starmer's leadership, and according to Riley-Smith and Furness, there are "concerns" that "Labour MPs could protest a joint address to Parliament, possibly by staying away en masse, causing potential embarrassment to Mr. Trump."

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"It means the U.S. president will not achieve something enjoyed by his predecessors Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama," the Telegraph reporters note. "The lack of an address to Parliament risks a backlash from Mr. Trump, who British officials privately acknowledge is sensitive to perceived slights."

French President Emmanuel Macron, they observe, addressed the UK Parliament when he was in London in early July.

"British officials involved in the state visit planning are keenly aware of the U.S. president's desire to beat his presidential predecessors in the scale and opulence of the events," according to Riley-Smith and Furness. "There are discussions about how to outdo his first state visit in 2019."

The reporters add, "Mr. Trump will become the first elected leader in modern times to enjoy two UK state visits — a fact he has been sharing privately with friends."

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Read the Telegraph's full article at this link.