Tag: United Kingdom

Pence says European travel ban will extend to U.K. and Ireland

Axios logoVice President Mike Pence announced Saturday that all travel from Ireland and the United Kingdom to the U.S. will be suspended, effective midnight EST on Monday. He said Americans and legal residents abroad in those countries can return home.

Why it matters: The administration initially left the two off its restricted travel list, but that case has been weakened due to an uptick in cases in the UK.

Details: The travel restrictions do not apply to cargo or economic shipping, officials with the coronavirus task force said. Continue reading.

Trump might like Brexit less when he sees what it does to the economy

Washington Post logoPresident Trump’s support for Britain’s exit from the European Union may be about to collide with his election-year hopes of presiding over a strong economy.

The president has long seen “Brexit” as reflecting the same sort of nationalist impulse that drove his White House upset in 2016. He has hailed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who vows to sever ties with Europe on Oct. 31 no matter what, as a kindred populist spirit.

But as British Parliament this week dealt Johnson a stunning four consecutive defeats, the prospect of further delay in leaving the E.U. or a chaotic no-deal divorce spiked.

Continuing instability in the world’s fifth-largest economy — coupled with anti-government protests in Hong Kong, a U.S.-China trade war, and financial problems in major developing countries such as Argentina and Turkey — threatens to become a drag on an already troubled global economy.

View the complete September 5 article by David Lynch on The Washington Post website here.

British ambassador who called Trump ‘inept’ in leaked cables resigns

The Hill logoThe British ambassador to the U.S. resigned on Wednesday, days after leaked cables that criticized President Trump escalated tensions between the two close allies.

Kim Darroch’s resignation came one day after Trump bashed him as a “very stupid guy” and “pompous fool” and his tenure became a flashpoint in the race to replace outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May.

“Since the leak of official documents from this Embassy there has been a great deal of speculation surrounding my position and the duration of my remaining term as ambassador. I want to put an end to that speculation. The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like,” Darroch wrote in his resignation letter, released by the U.K. Foreign Office.

View the complete July 10 article by Jordan Fabian on The Hill website here.

Trump says he will ‘no longer deal with’ UK’s ambassador to US

The Hill logoPresident Trump on Monday said he would “no longer deal with” the U.K.’s ambassador to the U.S. after leaked cables revealed the diplomat’s blunt assessment of the Trump administration.

In a pair of tweets, Trump bristled at Ambassador Kim Darroch’s description of him as “inept” and suggested a new British government could make changes.

“I do not know the Ambassador, but he is not liked or well thought of within the U.S. We will no longer deal with him. The good news for the wonderful United Kingdom is that they will soon have a new Prime Minister,” Trump wrote.

View the complete July 8 article by Jordan Fabian on The Hill website here.

In leaked cables, British ambassador calls Trump ‘inept’ and ‘insecure’

Washington Post logoLONDON — The British ambassador to the United States described the White House as “uniquely dysfunctional,” told his counterparts back home that President Trump was “inept” and “insecure,” and warned that his administration could collapse in “disgrace.”

In a cache of leaked diplomatic cables dating from 2017 to the present, Sir Kim Darroch worried Trump might be in debt to “dodgy Russians.” He also said that Trump could wreck the world trade system and that his administration might go to war with Iran.

In one cable, the ambassador wrote: “We don’t really believe this Administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept.”

View the complete July 7 article by William Booth on The Washington Post website here.

London Mayor Decries UK State Banquet For Trump

London Mayor Sadiq Khan is opposed to the United Kingdom hosting Trump for a state visit.

“Of course we should have a close relationship with the president of the United States, but we shouldn’t be rolling out the red carpet, we shouldn’t have a state banquet,” Khan said Friday in an interview with British talk radio station LBC.

Citing Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, the only two presidents to make state visits to the U.K., Khan said, “President Trump is not in the same class as those two.”

View the complete May 12 article by Oliver Willis on the National Memo website here.

Trump gives interview attacking May ahead of meeting

The following article by Lauren Meier was posted on the Axios website July 12, 2018:

President Trump, in an interview with the popular British newspaper the Sun, criticizes Prime Minister Theresa May’s handling of Brexit, says the mayor of London doesn’t do enough to fight terrorism, and said May’s rival Boris Johnson would make a “great prime minister.”

Why this matters from Axios World Editor David Lawler: May is in the fight of her life with hardliners within her own party, and President Trump — while visiting the U.K. — has just openly sided with the rivals that may attempt to force her from power.

In the interview, Trump said May “had ignored his advice by opting for a soft Brexit strategy” and said any possible trade deal between the U.S. and U.K. would be wrecked by May’s strategy of keeping close ties to the EU.

View the complete article on the Axios website here.

Trump’s Tweets Manage a Rare Feat: Uniting Britain, in Outrage

The following article by Stephen Castle was posted on the New York Times website November 30, 2017:

Leaders from Britain’s ruling and opposition parties have criticized President Trump for retweeting anti-Muslim videos posted by a far-right ultranationalist British party. By CAMILLA SCHICK on Publish Date November 30, 2017. Photo by Amel Pain/European Pressphoto Agency.

LONDON — One member of Parliament called him a “fascist.” Another described him as “stupid.” A third wondered aloud whether President Trump was “racist, incompetent or unthinking — or all three.”

The stream of criticism that began after Mr. Trump shared anti-Muslim videos from a far-right British group on Wednesday morning turned into a gusher on Thursday, after he rebuked Prime Minister Theresa May in a nighttime tweet, telling her: “Don’t focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom.” Continue reading “Trump’s Tweets Manage a Rare Feat: Uniting Britain, in Outrage”

What France and the UK can teach Trump about reviving America’s middle class

The following article by Steven Pressman was posted on the Conversaion website May 11, 2017:

America’s middle class is in deep trouble.

Signs of its decline are everywhere, from stagnant incomes and falling wealth to soaring household debt and the rise of populist politicians promising a return to the “glory days.”

While there is near universal agreement that a thriving middle class is essential to long-term economic prosperity, we’re deeply divided about what builds it. Conservatives, such as those in the White House and in control of Congress, contend that lower taxes are a key ingredient. Liberals argue it comes down to government policies that give low earners a leg up and support those already in the middle. Continue reading “What France and the UK can teach Trump about reviving America’s middle class”