President Trump's European trip earlier this month was nervously anticipated to be an improvement over the experience of last year's visit, but still expected to contain some surprises and awkward situations, some potentially consequential, and some relegated to fodder for the talk show circuit. Some controversies already preceded the flight from Washington D.C.. Mr. Trump's ongoing feud with London's mayor Sadiq Khan had been in the headlines for days, and his characterization of Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, as "nasty," during an interview, rankled more than some royal feathers.
Helicopters transported Mr. an Mrs. Trump from Stansted Airport to Buckingham Palace, where they were received by Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Camilla. Mr. Trump would later claim that they flew over thousands of cheering supporters in downtown London, not recognizing that these were actually protesters expressing their disapproval of his presence.
The pomp and ceremony at Buckingham Palace fit President Trump very well. He appeared coached and scripted, acting statesman-like. Trump, being Trump, was very pleased with himself. After the state dinner, he soon boasted about having had "automatic chemistry" with the queen. When asked during a Fox interview if he fist-bumbed the queen, he said: "I did not, but I had a great relationship, we had a really great time. There are those that say they have never seen the queen have a better time, a more animated time... We just had a great time together." (The Guardian, Jun. 7, 2019). Queen Elizabeth, who has met with 12 U.S. presidents since 1951, was predictably not asked for a comment.
After insulting Prime Minister Theresa May during their last visit, this year's face-to-face meeting was much more civil. Mr. Trump actually managed to compliment the outgoing P.M. on her negotiating efforts with he European Union. He did, however, all but encourage the U.K. to pursue a "no deal Brexit," a scenario British lawmakers adamantly oppose. He also strongly suggested that Nigel Farage, a supporter and leader of the recently formed "Brexit Party," should lead ongoing negotiations with the E.U.. And, while he continued providing unwelcome advise, he insinuated that former U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, an old friend, should replace Theresa May as leader of the Conservative Party, and as Prime Minister. (To not hurt his chances of being elected, Mr. Johnson declined to meet with the president.) Finally, he proposed a post Brexit free trade agreement with the U.S., but stipulated that everything, including the popular British healthcare system, should be on the table. A deal breaker for anyone in the audience.
The interview with Piers Morgan for "Good Morning Britain" should probably never have happened. The president appeared very uncomfortable when Morgan asked him how he evaded the draft during the Vietnam war. Trump received four student deferments and two medical excuses for bone spurs. Trump's rambling explanation quickly made the news: "I was never a fan of that war, I'll be honest with you. I thought it was a terrible war; I thought it was very far away. You're talking about Vietnam. At that time nobody had ever heard of that country."
His televised pep-talk to Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar became another awkward moment. Referring to Brexit, a hot topic of significant concern in Ireland, Trump said: "I think it will all work out very well, and also for you with your wall, your border. I mean, we have a border situation in the United States, and you have one over here. But I hear it's going to work out very well here." Mr. Varadkar's retort that Ireland would like "to avoid a border or wall" did not seem to penetrate or resonate.
Aside from the state visit, the other featured objective of Trump's visit to Europe at this time of the year was to participate in the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day at the "Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial" in Colleville-sur-Mer in France. President Trump managed to do a commendable job during the solemn and emotional ceremony. However, even here he managed to redirect attention onto himself. With the D-Day ceremony as a backdrop, and the 9,388 white crosses covering burial sites behind him, he inserted a sit-down interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, during which he blasted his political rivals at home. At some point he suggested that the officials attending probably did not recognize that he was the one holding up the entire ceremony just to do that interview. Even Ingraham admitted that that was fake news.
A final parting gift to the pundits surfaced during the family's trip home. Becoming aware that NASA planned to go back to the moon during he coming few years, something Trump actually proposed not too long ago, he flipped on his space objectives, tweeting: "For all the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the moon - we did that 50 years ago. They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including MARS (of which the moon is a part). Defence (sic) and Science!" For some in the Trump entourage this may have counted as enlightenment. For many at home and abroad this tweet resembled pure nonsense.
Most controversial statements chronicled during Mr. Trump's European trip this time around are attributable to self-aggrandizement, and expressions of, mostly unwelcome, opinions fueled by narcissism and essential ignorance of the political facts and climate on the ground. I am certain that many in Europe anticipated much of this. If this was his objective, Mr. Trump did great job leaving much of the citizenry in host countries confused and bewildered.
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