DONALD Trump faces mass protests when he comes to Britain in the second half of the year - a visit which could include a trip to Scotland.
After a 40-minute one-to-one meeting between the US President and Theresa May at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a Downing Street spokesman said: “The PM and President concluded by asking officials to work together on finalising the details of a visit by the President to the UK later this year.”
A senior UK Government source declined to say whether or not the visit would be a working one or the state visit, which has been offered by the Queen and accepted by Mr Trump, but he did confirm that it would take place in the “second half of the year”.
“Officials are working on what time works best,” he explained.
David Pratt: Self-interest is at the heart of the glad-handing of the Davos elite
A state visit with all the accompanying pomp and circumstance would normally last four days. If it were to occur in August, then this could involve the President staying at Balmoral, where Her Majesty traditionally holidays during the summer. Mr Trump also has interest in golf courses north of the border, which are part of the family business.
Reacting to confirmation of the President’s visit, Jo Swinson, the Liberal Democrat deputy leader, said: "Trump is a dangerous, misogynistic racist and is deserving of the protests he will undoubtedly face.
"If and when he comes to the UK the Liberal Democrats will be at front and centre of the protests," added the East Dunbartonshire MP.
The Stop Trump protest group has already said it planned to organise the biggest demonstration in British history ahead of the President’s planned and then cancelled working visit to London next month to open the new US embassy.
READ MORE: Donald Trump ready to apologise for far-right video retweets
The group previously promised that Mr Trump would be “met by a million of us attempting a citizen’s arrest of him for incitement of racial hatred”.
The Government source said the Trump-May bilateral was “good” with a wide range of topics covered, including the threat to Bombardier jobs in Northern Ireland, the Iran nuclear deal, the crisis in Syria and the fight against Daesh.
The two leaders did not discuss the incident which caused a diplomatic rift; the decision by the President to controversially retweet videos by far-right group Britain First.
He subsequently pulled out of the planned working visit in February to visit the new American embassy in Nine Elms near Vauxhall. The former real estate guru claimed his reason was because he regarded the deal to move the embassy from Grosvenor Square in Mayfair, agreed under the presidency of George W Bush, had been a very bad one.
Others, however, believed he had pulled out for fear of mass protests. The visit by Mr Trump, state or otherwise, will involve a huge security operation, which is likely to cost the taxpayer millions of pounds.
After the bilateral, the President sought to bolster the US-UK Special Relationship amid the diplomatic turbulence, telling the PM: “We love your country.”
David Pratt: Self-interest is at the heart of the glad-handing of the Davos elite
Predicting a post-Brexit boost in UK-US trade, he declared: “The discussions...that will be taking place are going to lead to tremendous increase in trade between our countries, which is great for both in terms of jobs. We look forward to that and we are starting that process pretty much as we speak."
Mr Trump also insisted Britain and America were "joined at the hip" in their military co-operation, noting: "There's nothing that would happen to you[where] we wouldn't be there to fight for you. You know that."
The President claimed he and Mrs May had a mutual feeling of “liking each other a lot” and told a news conference: "I have great respect for everything you are doing. We love your country; I think it's really great."
The PM said she and the President had enjoyed "a great discussion".
"We continue to have that really special relationship between the UK and the United States, standing shoulder to shoulder because we are facing the same challenges across the world.
"As you say, we are working together to defeat those challenges and to meet them. And alongside that, working for a good trade relationship in the future which will be to both our benefits.
"So the UK and the US both do well out of this," she added.
READ MORE: Donald Trump ready to apologise for far-right video retweets
Afterwards, Mr Trump, who is due to give his keynote speech to the summit today, tweeted: “Great bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom, affirming the special relationship and our commitment to work together on key national security challenges and economic opportunities.”
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