Donald Trump may visit UK this month, but date 'being kept secret to avoid protests'
The news comes after the President's proposed state visit was quietly scrapped last month
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump may visit the UK briefly this month en route to celebrate Bastille Day in France on 14 July.
UK Government officials are reportedly “on alert” for a flying visit from the US President as he travels to Europe, but the UK stopover would only likely be confirmed 24 hours in advance.
A White House source told The Sunday Times, “There is a window of opportunity for the President to visit Britain when he is in Europe later this month.
“It is likely it will be hastily arranged and it is possible no official confirmation of his visit will be given until at least 24 hours before to stop any large-scale protests against his visit from being mobilised.”
Westminster reportedly does not have any official requests from the US to prepare for a visit by Mr Trump, but the President is expected to fly to one of his golf courses in Scotland for an informal trip and he may wish to see the Prime Minister.
The news comes after a state visit from Mr Trump was scrapped in June over fear of protests and there was no mention of him in the Queen’s Speech.
Theresa May was strongly criticised for taking a soft approach with Mr Trump when she visited him in Washington DC earlier this year, refusing to publicly call him out on his previous remarks against women and people of colour.
She has not seen the President since he allegedly disclosed Israeli intelligence in a meeting in May with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and US ambassador Sergei Kislyak.
“We continue to work with the United States and we continue to share intelligence with the United States, as we do with others around the world,” said Ms May.
His visit to Scotland is also likely to be controversial.
He opened a golf resort in Menie, Aberdeenshire, in 2012 after a lengthy battle with local residents and protesters, and a documentary called You’ve Been Trumped recorded the ordeal.
The President then bought Turnberry, a golf course in Ayrshire, for an undisclosed sum two years later.
The business ventures made a loss of around £9.5 million last year, according to documents filed with Companies House.
During a recent trip to Scotland, local protesters held up Mexican flags by his course in Aberdeenshire to show solidarity with the people of Mexico, who Mr Trump had called “rapists” and “drug dealers” on the campaign trail.
Former First Minister Alex Salmond revealed the 16 irate letters Mr Trump had sent him to complain about wind turbines being built near his resort – a battle the President lost in court in 2015 – and First Minster Nicola Sturgeon has publicly called Mr Trump a “misogynist”.
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