King Charles is set to welcome US President Donald Trump for a second state visit to the UK later this year – but a petition is calling for the trip to be cancelled.
Trump, 79, is expected to embark on a state visit to the UK, possibly in September, following an official invitation from King Charles, 76.
Now, it seems that members of the public are fighting back against the move.
King Charles ‘begged’ to stop Donald Trump’s state visit to UK
In February, a letter from the king was delivered to Trump by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The letter was delivered when Starmer met with the president at the White House.
Trump previously visited the UK in 2019. On that occasion, he was, of course, hosted by Queen Elizabeth II. But, he did also meet the then Prince of Wales, Charles.
Trump’s second state visit will break away from tradition as second-term US presidents are traditionally not offered state visits. Although, it does uphold both Trump and his wife Melania’s claims of a friendship with King Charles.
However, some members of the public aren’t impressed. So much so, a petition urging the British monarch to withdraw his invitation to Donald Trump has been circulating online for some months, with people still signing it at the time of writing.
The petition is hosted on the platform Change.org. Nick Bolding created it. He insists that Trump’s visit isn’t justifiable due to his actions and attitudes repeatedly clashing with the nation’s values.
Petition against Donald Trump’s state visit to UK
In the description of the petition, Bolding explained: “As someone deeply concerned about international relations, the announcement of President Trump’s second state visit to Britain has greatly distressed me.”
He continued: “It’s worth noting that each state visit by a US president tends to cost British taxpayers millions of pounds, an expense I believe isn’t justifiable for an individual whose actions and attitudes repeatedly clash with our nation’s values (Source: UK Parliament, Report on Royal Visits, 2021). Hence, it is my belief that the invitation extended to Trump symbolises an unfair misuse of taxpayer money.”