Donald Trump has canceled a planned trip to London—not the controversial full state visit that’s been discussed, but a trip for the opening of a new U.S. embassy. When it comes to the reason for the cancellation, as usual, there’s Trump’s lie, the reality behind his claims, and the thing he’s not mentioning. In this case, he’s blaming former President Obama for something done by the George W. Bush administration, and the leading theory is that the whole charade is to cover up his fear of ego-shattering mass protests.
Funny story. The embassy relocation was planned and started under George W. Bush. And the location for the new embassy was chosen before the old one was sold. And “The project has been funded entirely by the proceeds of the sale of other U.S. Government properties in London, not through appropriated funds.”
Many in England and the United States suspect that Trump’s real reason was fear of facing massive protests. London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted that “It appears that President Trump got the message from the many Londoners who love and admire America and Americans but find his policies and actions the polar opposite of our city’s values of inclusion, diversity and tolerance.” A member of Parliament from the Conservative Party suggested that “While I think it's a shame, I think—if I'm honest—it more reflects the fact that other people criticise in French, Italian, Korean and other languages and we criticise in English, and it's much easier for him to read English.”
Friday, Jan 12, 2018 · 4:19:28 PM +00:00
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Laura Clawson
Here’s what the Trump-chosen ambassador to the United Kingdom had to say about the new embassy just this week:
"It is the most secure, hi-tech and environmentally friendly embassy that the United States has ever built. Purchased and built from the sale of our London properties, the new embassy did not cost the US taxpayer a cent," Ambassador Woody Johnson wrote in the Evening Standard. "Yet is one of the most advanced embassies we have ever built."