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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Zoe Williams

There’s no denying Trump’s true nature any more. But what will it take to stop another visit to the UK?

Protesters in London, holding placards saying 'No to racism' and 'Dump Trump' demonstrate against Donald Trump’s visit to the UK in July 2018.
Protesters in London demonstrate against Donald Trump’s visit to the UK in July 2018. Can Trump expect a similar reception next time around? Photograph: Jack Taylor/Getty Images

A petition to rescind Donald Trump’s invitation for a second state visit to the UK was launched by the Stop Trump Coalition on Friday and had nearly 100,000 signatures by Monday. Meanwhile, another petition, started by the online campaign group 38Degrees, was nudging towards 150,000, while the Mail on Sunday was demanding exactly the same thing. Robert De Niro was pithier at the Oscars (“Fuck Trump!”), as he had been at the Tony awards in 2018, but finding allies in Hollywood has never been that difficult.

The Stop Trump Coalition has been around since his first term, protesting against his Muslim travel ban and the insult to feminism that they felt his ascent to high office represented. Back then, people on the left argued a lot about purpose and efficacy, while people on the right were busy doing whatever they were doing between 2016 and 2020. Oh yeah, they were trashing the UK’s trade relationships with the EU and then, when it all went wrong, blaming the remainers for not giving in fast enough.

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