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

[dwordle]

With King Charles visit to America on the horizon, I'm wondering why this state visit hasn't been cancelled.

Many will argue that it could thaw relations but I'm of the opinion that actually at this point in time I don't believe it's appropriate.

The Trump administration has shown no respect to our sovereignty, has openly abused our military, our prime minister and mocked our war veterans.

I do believe that our friends are in Europe and America right now isn't an reliable ally.

It will go ahead regardless of what Trump says or does, though what the King will actually think of the orange manchild and his temper tantrums is something many would love to know. Personally I agree with the sentiments of OP, someone who is so insulting towards our country and especially our armed forces has no right to be treated with respect

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

I do not think it should go ahead. The optics as they say, are terrible. People are dying in a war America started and our king is rocking up. I think he will live to regret this.

Yes.

We can't afford either literally or metaphorically to make an enemy of Trump.

We have to nurse this relationship through another 3 years until POTUS is no longer a deranged person.

This.

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.

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

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.

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

It feels more important than ever.

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 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 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.

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.

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?

There comes a point when you have to say politely, we don't feel it's appropriate. Trump will likely throw his toys out of his pram but the message has to be one of correction. One that shows our relationship is built on mutual respect not servitude.

We are being hit with punitive tarriffs, public mocking and he's actually undermining our democracy with hostile interference.

His support for Farage and his sympathetic views they both share with Russia is threatening our national security.

Right now the relationship is more damaging than helpful. Even the Italians are now seeing that this interference is now hostile and seeks to undermine the European Union.

The quicker we can join the EU fully along with the Euro the better. It will end Farage and his ambitions and lay down the framework for future US relationships

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

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.

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.

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

It was nothing to do with the EU, the EU isn't a military power...it's an economic power. The EU has never been a threat to Russia and if anything was beneficial to Russia.

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

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.