Britain debates 'The Donald' ahead of planned visit
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the US presidential election, says he will visit the UK a day after the Brexit referendum. But not everybody is happy with the announcement.
However, the billionaire real estate developer insists the visit won't be about politics. Instead, Trump will travel to Scotland to preside over the opening of a golf resort he's invested in.
Regardless of his aims, at least half a million Brits reportedly say they don't want him to come. They've even signed a petition calling for him to be banned from Britain over his alleged hate speech after Trump publicly called for a ban on Muslims entering the US amid debates on national safety.
RT discussed the issue with political writer John Wight, and commentator David Noakes.
RT: David, what sort of reception, do you think, Donald Trump will get in the UK?
David Noakes: The reception in the US is very good. He won the Republican nomination from the point of view of the number of delegates. So, his speech about Muslims can’t have done him any damage. And he does have a point. There are Muslims who are radicalized and his point is to make America a safer place. So I can see where he is coming from.
RT: But he has drawn a lot of criticism for making those statements, hasn’t he? Many people, including the British Prime Minister, are very skeptical of what he has said. What do you think about his reception, John?
John Wight: He will get the same kind of the reception he is receiving in the rallies in the US. He will be getting a very hostile reception. David says his remarks have gone down well in the US. I think he must be watching different footage of those rallies than I’ve been watching, because what I have seen there were riots, increasing levels of violence all over the country. Because people in the US and in the UK understand that this promises to be the most divisive president that has ever been in the history of that country. And given the competition, that’s saying something.
This is a man who has already demonized not only immigrants that are coming into the US, but by definition the three million Muslims who already live in the US, and who are American citizens, not to mention the 33.7 million Mexican Americans who he has also demonized by inference. So this is a man who is going to take charge of one of the most diverse, multiethnic, multicultural countries in the world and he started off with hate speech… His presidency will be a disaster in the making, I promise you.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
