"He's a tough negotiator. I'm not sure if I like that, but that's okay," Trump said upon introducing the UK PM Keir Starmer this week [Thursday 27th Feb].
The meeting was summed up by many as a 'success'. However, while there were some positive messages coming from both Trump and Starmer, beneath the shiny veneer it remained unclear whether Trump will prove to be a trusted friend or instead thow Britain under the bus as has been seen before so many times, not just by the Trump administration but also by other US presidents who have continually placed Britain in second place or "at the back of the queue."
What Trump does on Monday could be very different as to what he does the following day or even a week later.
Asked whether he still thought the Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a dictator just a week after he posted a message on Truth Social lambasting the leader, Trump glibly responded by saying, "Did I say that? I can't believe I said that, Next question."
It's not clear whether it was Starmer's suggestion, or at King Charles' request, that an offer was made for a second state visit. But Starmer's pulling an envelope from his inside jacket pocket gave the impression he was pulling a rabbit from a hat, like a magician, in order to somehow gloss over Trump's lies and half truths while trying to butter up the leader of the free world.
Upon opening the invitation letter for a second state visit, Trump talked of the King as a "a great gentle man, a great, great gentleman; a beautiful man, a wonderful man," and followed by saying that he'd accept the offer.
The "very special" and "historic" offer was very much like a stunt that Del Boy, from Only Fools and Horses, might pull; offering a cheap deal on a paint job for the White House in order to secure a trade deal.
While Trump might initially be impressed with the glitz and glamour of being wined and dined with the King of England, there will be nothing lasting from such a visit other than a photo for the Trump family album.
Reporters attempted to delve into the issues that Trump has himself and put the prime minister on the spot. One asked Starmer whether the King might be concerned over Trump's assertion that Canada might become the 51st state which the PM attempted to gloss over by claiming that other discussions were positive.
"Look, we had a really good discussion, a productive discussion, a good discussion as a result of which our teams are happy to be working together on an economic deal, our teams are going to be working together on security in Ukraine," Starmer responded.
"You mention, Canada, I think you're trying to find a divide between us that doesn't exist. We're the closest of nations, and we had very good discussions today, but we didn't address Canada —" Starmer continued.
"That's enough, thank you" Trump said, waving in the direction of the press to move on to another question.
Then came a meeting with the Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy who met with the US president on Friday.
But there was none of the bromance seen between Macron and Trump on Monday or the slightly awkward but relatively upbeat meeting that the world witnessed as the UK PM met Trump on Thursday.
After a fairly cordial discussion at the start of the informal meeting at the White House it all descended into chaos as both the vice president, J D Vance, and the president, Donald Trump effectively ganged up against Zelenskyy.
Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart to be "thankful" and accused him of "gambling with World War Three". [BBC / Sky News]
After 10 minutes of Trump and Vance haranguing the Ukraine president, the meeting was over and soon after Zelenskyy was asked to leave.
The events came just a week after Zelenskyy said Trump was "living in a disinformation space" created by Russia following Trump's accusation that Zelenskyy was a "dictator".
It seemed more clear than ever that Trump's allegiance was more strongly aligned to Putin. And while there have been voices in support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, there was little condemnation of Donald Trump.
Following the events on Friday, Sir Keir Starmer expressed his "unwavering support for Ukraine" but stopped short of making comment concerning Trump's remarks.
The French president Emmanuel Macron pointed to his continued support for Ukraine. In a post on X [aka Twitter], he said, "There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a victim: Ukraine. We were right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago—and to keep doing so."
"By 'we,' I mean the Americans, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese, and many others," Macron continued, "Thank you to all who have helped and continue to do so. And respect to those who have been fighting since the beginning—because they are fighting for their dignity, their independence, their children, and the security of Europe."
Germany's Friedrich Merz, who won the country's election on Sunday, went further however. "Dear Volodymyr @zelenskyyua, we stand with #Ukraine in good and in testing times. We must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war. (FM)" he posted on X [formerly Twitter].
Starmer, meanwhile, merely expressed his "unwavering support for Ukraine" having spoken to both Trump and Zelenskyy after their fiery Oval Office feud threatened to derail Ukraine peace deal [Daily Mail].
There were many comments showing loyal support however. Hungary's Victor Orban was quoted as saying, "Strong men make peace, weak men make war. Today President Trump stood bravely for peace. Even if it was difficult for many to digest. Thank you, Mr. President!"
Meanwhile, Republican senator Lindsey Graham posted a message saying, "Today, President Trump gave a masterclass on how to stand up for America."
In a little over five weeks, Trump has managed to implement some 36% of the right wing agenda of Project 2025 according to some trackers. This week has shown that America is an adversary of Europe, seeking to rob Ukraine of its mineral wealth but hoping to deliver respectability to a war criminal in the Kremlin who has stifled free speech, rigged elections, murdered his opponents, and may yet unleash his army on the Baltic states.
Recently, Bernie Sanders said, "The struggle against Trump, the struggle against authoritarianism, that is not going to be won here in Capitol Hill. It's going to be won by millions of people all over this country standing up and saying, "you know what, we fought and died for democracy, we're not gonna move toward authoritarianism."" [sic]
But, authoritarianism is not America's future, it is the country's present. A nation captured by Trump, his family, the high priests of tech; simultaneously bankrolling the president, enriching themselves, and now casting Europe and Ukraine to the wind.
The meeting was summed up by many as a 'success'. However, while there were some positive messages coming from both Trump and Starmer, beneath the shiny veneer it remained unclear whether Trump will prove to be a trusted friend or instead thow Britain under the bus as has been seen before so many times, not just by the Trump administration but also by other US presidents who have continually placed Britain in second place or "at the back of the queue."
What Trump does on Monday could be very different as to what he does the following day or even a week later.
Asked whether he still thought the Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a dictator just a week after he posted a message on Truth Social lambasting the leader, Trump glibly responded by saying, "Did I say that? I can't believe I said that, Next question."
It's not clear whether it was Starmer's suggestion, or at King Charles' request, that an offer was made for a second state visit. But Starmer's pulling an envelope from his inside jacket pocket gave the impression he was pulling a rabbit from a hat, like a magician, in order to somehow gloss over Trump's lies and half truths while trying to butter up the leader of the free world.
Upon opening the invitation letter for a second state visit, Trump talked of the King as a "a great gentle man, a great, great gentleman; a beautiful man, a wonderful man," and followed by saying that he'd accept the offer.
The "very special" and "historic" offer was very much like a stunt that Del Boy, from Only Fools and Horses, might pull; offering a cheap deal on a paint job for the White House in order to secure a trade deal.
While Trump might initially be impressed with the glitz and glamour of being wined and dined with the King of England, there will be nothing lasting from such a visit other than a photo for the Trump family album.
Reporters attempted to delve into the issues that Trump has himself and put the prime minister on the spot. One asked Starmer whether the King might be concerned over Trump's assertion that Canada might become the 51st state which the PM attempted to gloss over by claiming that other discussions were positive.
"Look, we had a really good discussion, a productive discussion, a good discussion as a result of which our teams are happy to be working together on an economic deal, our teams are going to be working together on security in Ukraine," Starmer responded.
"You mention, Canada, I think you're trying to find a divide between us that doesn't exist. We're the closest of nations, and we had very good discussions today, but we didn't address Canada —" Starmer continued.
"That's enough, thank you" Trump said, waving in the direction of the press to move on to another question.
Then came a meeting with the Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy who met with the US president on Friday.
But there was none of the bromance seen between Macron and Trump on Monday or the slightly awkward but relatively upbeat meeting that the world witnessed as the UK PM met Trump on Thursday.
After a fairly cordial discussion at the start of the informal meeting at the White House it all descended into chaos as both the vice president, J D Vance, and the president, Donald Trump effectively ganged up against Zelenskyy.
Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart to be "thankful" and accused him of "gambling with World War Three". [BBC / Sky News]
After 10 minutes of Trump and Vance haranguing the Ukraine president, the meeting was over and soon after Zelenskyy was asked to leave.
The events came just a week after Zelenskyy said Trump was "living in a disinformation space" created by Russia following Trump's accusation that Zelenskyy was a "dictator".
It seemed more clear than ever that Trump's allegiance was more strongly aligned to Putin. And while there have been voices in support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, there was little condemnation of Donald Trump.
Following the events on Friday, Sir Keir Starmer expressed his "unwavering support for Ukraine" but stopped short of making comment concerning Trump's remarks.
The French president Emmanuel Macron pointed to his continued support for Ukraine. In a post on X [aka Twitter], he said, "There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a victim: Ukraine. We were right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago—and to keep doing so."
"By 'we,' I mean the Americans, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese, and many others," Macron continued, "Thank you to all who have helped and continue to do so. And respect to those who have been fighting since the beginning—because they are fighting for their dignity, their independence, their children, and the security of Europe."
Germany's Friedrich Merz, who won the country's election on Sunday, went further however. "Dear Volodymyr @zelenskyyua, we stand with #Ukraine in good and in testing times. We must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war. (FM)" he posted on X [formerly Twitter].
Starmer, meanwhile, merely expressed his "unwavering support for Ukraine" having spoken to both Trump and Zelenskyy after their fiery Oval Office feud threatened to derail Ukraine peace deal [Daily Mail].
There were many comments showing loyal support however. Hungary's Victor Orban was quoted as saying, "Strong men make peace, weak men make war. Today President Trump stood bravely for peace. Even if it was difficult for many to digest. Thank you, Mr. President!"
Meanwhile, Republican senator Lindsey Graham posted a message saying, "Today, President Trump gave a masterclass on how to stand up for America."
In a little over five weeks, Trump has managed to implement some 36% of the right wing agenda of Project 2025 according to some trackers. This week has shown that America is an adversary of Europe, seeking to rob Ukraine of its mineral wealth but hoping to deliver respectability to a war criminal in the Kremlin who has stifled free speech, rigged elections, murdered his opponents, and may yet unleash his army on the Baltic states.
But, authoritarianism is not America's future, it is the country's present. A nation captured by Trump, his family, the high priests of tech; simultaneously bankrolling the president, enriching themselves, and now casting Europe and Ukraine to the wind.
Following the dystopian scenes in the White House, Bernie Sanders, one of few voices of protest to emanate from Congress, posted this, " After years of Republicans talking about "freedom," is there ONE Republican in Congress prepared to stand with Ukraine and democracy? Or do they ALL agree with Trump that Vladimir Putin, a blood-thirsty dictator, is our ally in this horrific war that he started."
Welcome to the new world order!
Welcome to the new world order!
tvnewswatch, London, UK
