What Brexit and Donald Trump have in common
By BAGEHOT
COMPARISONS between Donald Trump’s presidential win and Britain’s vote to leave the European Union have often been overdone. Though during the campaign Mr Trump called himself “Mr Brexit” and promised “Brexit plus, plus, plus” for America, many Britons voted for Leave who would not dream of supporting him. The debates and issues involved were often different. The racial dimension was much less pronounced in Britain. Yet there are affinities, as a successful British petition shows.
Launched on January 29th it urges the British government to cancel Mr Trump’s summer state visit to Britain. Such trips are considered an honour. They are not afforded to all presidents and involve staying with the monarch. The petition says the “embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen” would be unacceptable. At the time of writing, it had attracted 1.4m signatories and climbing, far above the 100,000 needed for Members of Parliament to consider debating the issue in Parliament. Nonetheless, the government says it will not change its plans.
