The King can help strengthen strained special relationship with the US
Friendship with Trump on state visit after gunman attack could remind president of the value of transatlantic bonds
There is no denying that the “special relationship” between the UK and America is at a low ebb as the King and Queen begin a four-day US state visit today.
President Donald Trump has made clear his frustration with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over the UK’s stance on the war in Iran and the digital services tax on American social media firms. Just days before the Royal visit, the Republican leader threatened to impose “a big tariff on the UK” if the levy is not scrapped.
On Iran, Mr Trump has been scathing about the response of the UK, which he said had previously been considered “the Rolls-Royce of allies”.
The president has accused Sir Keir of offering to send naval support “right after the war essentially ended”, adding: “I was not happy with the UK.” Mr Trump has since suggested the terms of the UK-US trade agreement brokered last year “can always be changed”.
And last week, reports emerged suggesting the US is considering a review of its position on Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands.
In light of all this, it is fortunate from a British perspective that Mr Trump appears to enjoy a warm friendship with the King, who is expected to address both houses of Congress, visit the 9/11 memorial in New York and attend a wreath laying ceremony in Virginia to honour fallen US and UK soldiers.
The King and Queen are understood to have contacted Mr Trump and his wife Melania privately yesterday to express their sympathies after a gunman tried to charge an event in Washington DC attended by the president and the first lady.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the King “is greatly relieved to hear that the President, First Lady and all guests have been unharmed”.
The incident appears to be yet another unwelcome reminder of a rising tide of political violence that should be a matter of the gravest concern for all our leaders.
On both sides of the Atlantic, we should heed the words of the late US Secretary of State Colin Powell: “The ties that bind us are stronger than the occasional stresses that separate us.”
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