Update: Trump has called the protests “fake news.”
Trump calls the protests against him "fake news." Meanwhile, @MSNBC just reported "that's really not the case. There are quite a lot of protesters."
Trump claimed he saw thousands cheering for him. @MSNBC just reported: "I'm not seeing what the president saw."
Vid via BBC pic.twitter.com/iCZ4JxK3lB— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 4, 2019
Original post below.
***
The British aren’t too fond of President Trump. Last October, a Pew Research Center study found that only 28% of residents of the United Kingdom have confidence he will do the right thing regarding world affairs. The results weren’t surprising. When Trump flew to London a few months before the study was published, he was greeted by thousands of protesters and a 20-foot-tall inflatable Trump Baby flying over Parliament. The blimp was greenlit by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has feuded with Trump since the 2016 campaign. “The mayor supports the right to peaceful protest and understands that this can take many different forms,” a spokesperson for Khan said at the time.
Not much has changed since last summer. Trump is still hated in the U.K., he’s still feuding with Khan and when he arrived in London on Monday, he once again was greeted by a portly balloon bearing his likeness. The president wasn’t sweating it. “London part of trip is going really well,” he tweeted on Monday. “Haven’t seen any protests yet, but I’m sure the Fake News will be working hard to find them,” he added.
….Fake News will be working hard to find them. Great love all around. Also, big Trade Deal is possible once U.K. gets rid of the shackles. Already starting to talk!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2019
OK, done. Here are some of the ways the British have expressed their distaste for Trump during his visit.
The Trump Baby
So iconic is the Trump Baby, which was conceived last year by a group led by London artist Leo Murray, that the Museum of London has said it wants to acquire the piece of protest art. It’s unclear if the blimp’s team of Trump Babysitters will approve of the move. The museum has also said it wants to acquire an inflatable blimp depicting Mayor Khan that has been flown by Trump supporters in London.
The Trump Baby balloon is up and there appears to be a Devo cover band guarding it. Their red jumpsuits and MAGA-style hats all say: “Trump Babysitter.” pic.twitter.com/qj8wSs3vML
— Eli Stokols (@EliStokols) June 4, 2019
Reminding him of John McCain
Trump may not have seen the USS John S. McCain when he was in Japan over Memorial Day, but protest group Led By Donkeys wanted to make sure the late senator’s presence wasn’t obscured in London, projecting an image of the ship onto Madame Tussaud’s.
Hey @realDonaldTrump, we read the story about the sailors on a US warship being ordered to hide from you because you’re triggered by the name on their hats. So we turned Madame Tussaud's into a giant USS John McCain baseball cap. Welcome to London! pic.twitter.com/KuynOwupFm
— Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) June 3, 2019
Comparing him to Obama
Since taking office, Trump has been obsessed with dismantling President Obama’s legacy. He’s also been touchy about any metrics in which he is underperforming his predecessor. In April, he even groused about having less Twitter followers than Obama, and grilled Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey about why his count isn’t higher. Led By Donkeys wanted to twist the numbers knife, projecting an image of Obama’s approval rating in the U.K. (72%) next to that of Trump (21%) on the Tower of London.
Hi @realDonaldTrump. Just so you know, you’re wildly unpopular here in Britain. SAD! People REALLY don’t like you (though they love @BarackObama). Hope you like seeing your FAILING approval numbers projected onto the Tower of London. #TrumpUKvisit pic.twitter.com/oT332Fd6fE
— Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) June 3, 2019
A giant statue of Trump sitting on a golden toilet
The 16-foot-tall statue erected in Trafalgar Square in central London shouts “You are fake news!” and “I’m a very stable genius” at passersby.
One of the centerpieces of the London protests. Trump on a golden commode, and it talks, says “fake news” and “witch hunt” pic.twitter.com/AFiGhbXVGA
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) June 4, 2019
Actual protesters
Thousands protest President Trump's UK visit in London, causing potential security concerns https://t.co/wjLVkQjqdy pic.twitter.com/Q5EXCoMRBc
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 4, 2019
Creative lawn art
A kid mowed a penis shape into a lawn.
A very green protest 🌱 https://t.co/JngN2zHYVb
— Evening Standard (@EveningStandard) June 4, 2019
Despite the efforts of the British, as always, no one is better at owning President Trump than President Trump himself.
We have never had a president who looks more like he’s about to get a cream pie in the face from all Three Stooges pic.twitter.com/gncoecXUBZ
— Jason O. Gilbert (@gilbertjasono) June 3, 2019
Though this may seem like a bunch of fun and games, Mayor Khan made sure to clarify that Trump’s presidency is nothing to laugh about.
“This is much more serious than childish insults which should be beneath the President of the United States,” a spokesperson for Khan said in a statement following Trump’s latest insults directed at the mayor. “Sadiq is representing the progressive values of London and our country warning that Donald Trump is the most egregious example of a growing far-right threat around the globe, which is putting at risk the basic values that have defined our liberal democracies for more than 70 years.”
