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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Trump hosts first foreign leader as May visits White House

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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump makes his debut as a statesman on Friday, welcoming British Prime Minister Theresa May as the first foreign leader to visit his White House.


The meeting will be a pivotal moment in trans-Atlantic relations, which have been rocked by Trump’s election and his willingness to rethink Nato, the UN and other foundation blocks of the liberal world order.


May’s trip is part influence campaign and part charm offensive.


She is expected to give Trump an engraved quaich — a ceremonial cup exchanged by Scottish highland chiefs — in a nod to Trump’s Scottish ancestry. His mother was born on the island of Lewis.


For First Lady Melania Trump, May will gift a hamper of apple juice, damson plum jam, marmalade, Bakewell tarts and cranberry and white chocolate shortbread cookies.


But aside from the desserts, the meeting will have a meaty main course.


May hopes to win the neophyte president’s support for collective security arrangements that have underpinned European security since World War II.


Trump has decried Nato as “obsolete” and expressed a willingness to befriend Russia’s Vladimir Putin — two positions that deeply concern European leaders from London to Lisbon.


Much of Britain’s military power, including its nuclear deterrent, depends on US equipment and systems.


In private, European diplomats fret about the influence of top Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who has made common cause with right-wing nationalists and populists in France, Britain and beyond.


Shortly after his election Trump met with right-wing British politician Nigel Farage, who has made dismantling the European Union his life’s work.


But Trump’s break with decades of US support for multilateral trade deals and his preference for bilateral accords could be manna for May, who is struggling to negotiate Britain’s complex exit from the European Union.


Faced with exit from the European single market, the British government is scrambling to secure bilateral deals around the world.


Netting a commitment from Trump for a US-UK agreement would be a major coup and help justify her visit to British voters.


May is hoping the prospect of a US deal — while complicated — will also help dispel fears among a divided public that Britain may be economically worse off by leaving Europe’s single market.


Her decision to meet Trump just one week after his inauguration has caused controversy at home. Trump has been condemned by European politicians of all stripes for his comments about women, Muslims and the use of torture.


May was not helped on Thursday when the White House misspelled her name multiple times when announcing her visit. — AFP


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