Trump: 'Big Crowds' Gathered to Support Me in Britain

He says protests were 'flops'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 5, 2019 6:48 AM CDT
Trump: British Protests Were 'Flops'
People hold placards with anti-Trump messages in central London, near the end of a protest against the state visit of President Donald Trump, Tuesday, June 4, 2019.   (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

President Trump is wrapping up his visit to Britain on Wednesday—and despite large rallies in London, he is describing it as a largely protest-free affair. "I kept hearing that there would be 'massive' rallies against me in the UK, but it was quite the opposite," he tweeted late Tuesday. "The big crowds, which the Corrupt Media hates to show, were those that gathered in support of the USA and me. They were big & enthusiastic as opposed to the organized flops!" The AP reports that thousands of protesters, many with humorous signs, gathered in central London Tuesday before marching to Parliament. There were isolated clashes with small groups of Trump supporters along the route. Organizers said an estimated 75,000 people joined the protest. More:

  • Bad day for the blimp. The now-famous blimp depicting Trump as an angry baby didn't make it through the day, the Hill reports. It was stabbed by a pro-Trump protester who shouted that it was a "national disgrace" and that Trump is the "best president ever." Police say the woman was "arrested for being in possession of a pointed or bladed article."

  • In denial? Unlike George W. Bush, who faced large protests when he visited London in 2003, Trump has failed to acknowledge his unpopularity among many Britons, the Washington Post notes. Some critics say Trump is in denial about his standing abroad, though Obama-era White House national security spokesman Ned Price tells the Post that Trump may not realize the extent of the outrage at his policies. "The staff goes to great lengths to pull the wool over his eyes," he says. "One can only imagine what other tactics they are using to provide him with sources of information that inflate his popularity overseas.”
  • Creative protests. USA Today reports that the wide variety of protesters who gathered in Trafalgar Square included women dressed as handmaids, Trump impersonators, a man selling Trump toilet paper, and a man who had created a huge robot of Trump sitting on a gold-colored toilet. The robot periodically uttered phrases like "You are fake news."
  • D-Day commemorations. On Wednesday, Trump joined Queen Elizabeth II and more than a dozen other world leaders at a naval base in Portsmouth to commemorate D-Day on the eve of the 75th anniversary, the Guardian reports. Some 300 veterans of the landings also attended the ceremony.
  • The next stop. Trump is scheduled to arrive in Ireland later Wednesday for his first visit to the country as president, the BBC reports. He is due to meet Leo Varadkar, Ireland's prime minister, before visiting his Doonbeg golf resort. Organizers say protests are planned at Shannon airport and in cities across Ireland, with around 6,000 protesters expected in Dublin, reports the Irish Post.
(More President Trump stories.)

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