U.K. primes the pomp for Trump visit, while demonstrators dust off their presidential props
Trump's "working visit" to the U.K. last July drew an estimated 250,000 demonstrators into the streets. British taxpayers spent nearly £18 million ($30.7 million Cdn) on security for the four-day trip, despite a schedule that kept the president well away from the angry crowds.
This time, anti-Trump forces are hoping for an even bigger turnout, knowing that they are likely to be both seen and heard.
On Tuesday, a coalition of 16 groups is organizing a "Together Against Trump" rally in Trafalgar Square, and then marching to parliament as the president meets the British prime minister just around the corner at 10 Downing St.
A balloon depicting Trump as a tangerine-hued, diaper-wearing baby, which floated above last year's protests, might fly again — if a £30,000 ($51,000 Cdn) crowd-funding goal is reached.
And there will be a new prop, a 5-metre-tall robotic statue of Trump sitting on a golden toilet with his pants around his ankles while he tweets on his phone. The figure plays recordings of some of Trump's stock phrases, such as "no collusion" and "witch hunt," intermixed with farting noises....
...The Brits, however, are not the only ones facing challenges on this foreign trip.
A long-planned meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Wednesday was almost cancelled due to squabbles over the venue.
Trump wanted to hold the tête-à-tête at his Doonbeg golf club and hotel in County Clare, while Varadkar favoured the Dromoland Castle Hotel, a venue that has welcomed a number of other U.S. presidents.
In the end, the two men will meet at a far-less impressive compromise location — the VIP lounge at Shannon airport — and Trump will fit in a round at his golf club on Friday before he heads back to the United States
cbc.ca |
