I joined Edward Adoo of BBC Three Counties Radio on Sunday night for a lively — and sometimes bizarre and disturbing — debate about Donald Trump’s announcement that he will not be visiting the UK.
The other participant is radio presenter Jonny Gould, who put out the creative excuse that Trump balked because he “does not want to open an [US] embassy in the sticks of London”.
After dealing with this — “if Johnny believes this, I have a Brooklyn Bridge to sell him real cheap” — I discussed the real reasons for Trump’s decision to no longer pursue a trip to Britain before a full and frank dissection of his recent comments about Haiti, El Salvador, and Africa.
There is an interlude with caller Mary, who says all terrorists are Muslims and many Africans live in mud huts before returning to analysis and a call for sensible dialogue rather than Trumpian division.
There’s a difference between honoring Donald Trump and the views which he has expressed — which have been bigoted, racist, and destructive — and building good relations with American institutions. Donald Trump doesn’t help those relationships; Donald Trump destabilizes them.
