‘Autocrat’s Playbook’: London Mayor Denounces Trump Ahead of State Visit

London’s mayor characterized President Trump’s actions as being “straight out of the autocrat’s playbook” as the president arrived at London for a highly anticipated state visit. Mr. Trump landed at London on Tuesday evening and will be meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well as King Charles and other members of the royal family during his two-day visit. London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, wrote a scathing op-ed in the Guardian timed to Mr. Trump’s arrival, saying the president and “his coterie have perhaps done the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years.”“When he came to the UK on his first state visit, I highlighted how the president had deliberately used xenophobia, racism and ‘otherness’ as an electoral tactic, introducing a travel ban on a number of Muslim-majority countries and praising white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia,” Mr. Khan wrote, adding that six years later, the tactics we see from today’s White House “seem no different.” “Scapegoating minorities, illegally deporting US citizens, deploying the military to the streets of diverse cities. These actions aren’t just inconsistent with western values – the are taken straight out of the autocrat’s playbook” the London mayor added. Mr. Trump has himself lashed out at Mr. Khan, calling him a “nasty person” and saying he was doing a “terrible job” during a meeting with Mr. Starmer in July. On Wednesday, King Charles and Queen Camilla will host Mr. Trump and the first lady at Windsor Castle, where they will watch a flyover of F-35 fighter jets and Red Arrow acrobatic planes. The royal family will also accompany Mr. Trump when he lays a wreath at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth, after which they will enjoy a lavish banquet. Mr. Starmer is expected to discuss a number of issues with Mr. Trump during their meeting on Thursday, including the wars in Gaza and Ukraine as well as American tariffs. Mr. Trump said that he wanted to “help” Downing Street reach a trade deal with America during his stay, which would include negotiations on the 25 percent tariff on British steel. “They want to see if they can refine the trade deal a little bit. We’ve made a deal, and it’s a great deal, and I’m into helping them,” Mr. Trump said. A deal to drop the tariffs was canceled before Mr. Trump arrived at London, according to local reports. A number of top-tech companies in America, such as Microsoft and Google, did however pledge to invest $42 million in investments in U.K. data centers ahead of the visit. Mr. Starmer said the deal marks a “generational step change in our relationship with the U.S., shaping the futures of millions of people on both sides of the Atlantic, and delivering growth, security and opportunity up and down the country.”Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, said the climate at London today is “so much more hospitable to investments than it was a few years ago, as long as that balance can be retained it will bode well for substantial investments from a company like ours.”“I haven’t always been optimistic every single day about the business climate in the U.K., but I am very encouraged by the steps the government has taken over the past few years,” he added.

‘Autocrat’s Playbook’: London Mayor Denounces Trump Ahead of State Visit

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