Should King Charles's planned US visit go ahead in current circumstances?

Absolutely this! I’m sure the King and Queen are under no illusions about him.

The 250 Anniversary is a big event for the American people and it's being overshadowed by Trump as is to some extent is the space mission. It would be a shame to take this away from the everyday American so perhaps Charles going will be appreciated by some of them, maybe not who knows. Will Trump appreciate Charles going? I doubt it in fact I expect him to insult Charles and the UK as he doesn't seem to have a filter. How Charles deals with it will be interesting

I’m glad the visit is still going ahead. Recently, I’ve been feeling more Republican, but this visit is a reminder of how useful it is to have a head of state who is “above” politics.
Charles can visit Trump without explicitly endorsing his policies and this will help to shore up the relationship between our countries.
We have to do this because the relationship’s in tatters right now, but we need America as an ally because we literally cannot defend ourselves without them.
I also believe we should strengthen our ties to Europe - and these two things do not need to be mutually exclusive. The stronger our relationship with America the more we can help Europe by acting as a communication bridge between them.
Our country has close ties to America that transcend current politics and it is worth celebrating this fact despite our differences.

I absolutely think we should cancel the visit.
No doubt in my mind.

You can't see why Russia, and the ex KGB man who heads it in particular, might consider it a threat to have the EU and (inevitably) Nato expand up to his border, Nato exercises with EU troops take place directly the other side of his border, all while the EU members were discussing forming an EU army?

It's not about whether we were a threat or not, it's about whether a dictator like Putin, could reasonably feel that we were. And given that there was recent history of one of the strongest members of the EU, us, bombing the shit out of Iraq with no justification, that doubt seems entirely rational to me.

Who says that the royal family don't earn their money? You couldn't compensate me enough to be polite to that criminal bully.

I think at the moment it looks like Vance. He worries me but not like Trump does.

I think you are, as most of his detractors do, mistaking the perfectly reasonable view, (which was stated by many at the time and is held by many now), that the pace of expansion of the EU into the ex Soviet states was an unnecessary provocation to a known enemy of the West, for "support for Putin".

Including Hungary in that isn't looking very clever right now.

I’m not a fan of the monarchy and would get rid of it if I could - but this is literally his job. The government asks (tells) him to go, so he goes. He can’t refuse foreign visits that the government requests.

That’s not to say I don’t think there is a lot of hypocrisy around climate change. I just don’t think this is a reasonable criticism of him in this case.

I can see why you would not want it to.

however it is always good to talk and keep your enemies close.

Trump shows little respect or regard to anyone except himself, King Charles I hope will bring some gravitas that may one day bring a benefit, so for that I say yes, and book another one too.

Will KC3 pop over to California to see his son, DIL and grandkids I wonder?

Well, if he can meet the Orange Moron despite all, he could do the same for his own son couldn't he?

Hypocrites the lot of 'em.

QEII had to shake hands with Martin McGuiness, so these things go with the territory.

There is also an element of "don't lower yourself to their level".

Personally, while no fan of Trump, I am glad we are going ahead with the long planned visit and not being petty.

Like it or not, we are a "junior" country these days and have to pay our respects to the court of USA

Although I agree with “keep your enemies close”, isn’t he always pontificating about climate change, and off e goes, presumably in a private jet?

The current situation has revealed our complete lack of defence. We need America as an ally in the long term and therefore it should go ahead. This isn't just about Trump.

Alternatively, we could stand on our own two feet and divert much of our welfare and NHS spending into defense but that might not be popular and a lot more expensive.

It’s a tricky one.

I would like to see us completely distance ourselves from America because morally it is the right thing to do but the King has to do what he is asked by the government and successful diplomacy sometimes means doing things you which make you feel vaguely grubby for the greater good.

I am sure Keir Starmer and the King both detest Trump but they will be trying to help our country get through this awful period in the hopes of better times in the future if America ever comes to it’s senses.

Whether this attempt to maintain a relationship via soft power will ultimately bear fruit is hard to say.

Personally, I think Trump is so mad that it ultimately will count for nothing.

He has no loyalty to anyone, he has no friends.

Everything is transactional and a transaction made today means nothing to him tomorrow.

He doesn’t honour deals or agreements.

Everything revolves around his latest whim or can be sacrificed to aid his insatiable greed for wealth and power.

His ego knows no bounds.

There is no relationship he would not shit upon without a second thought so in trying to maintain one are we just prostituting ourselves?

I imagine King Charles is dreading the visit.

It’s strange to feel sorry for a man of such means but as a fellow cancer sufferer I really do.

I can’t think the stress of walking a tightrope with the orange fart can be good for his health and is the last thing he wants to do but of course things like this come with the job.

It won’t make any difference if he goes or not. He will anyway though, so no point debating it. These very rich people and powerful people like our monarch and the US president have a lot in common even if they pretend they don’t.

It's a necessary evil. Not going would trigger a response that would be quite negative I think. So it has to be done. Deep breath, laugh inside at the moron and tick the box.

It feels more important than ever.

Of course he wants another term, hopefully that won't happen, but who will be his candidate? Trump junior?

It’s going ahead so the debate is pointless. It’s an anniversary not just a random visit foisted on the King by Keir Starmer as some seem to think.

Although I agree, it's a bitter pill to swallow.
But life's full of 'em.

That's his job to go and represent the country, but not the politics. He can have private views but he will be diplomatic and help keep the boat on an even keel. It's a message to Trump and the US that we still have close ties no matter what the differences in policies are.