# Why does the UK hate Trump so much? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 6, 2019, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138 "2019-06-06T19:25:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/41 "2019-06-07T03:27:55Z")
Interesting. Thanks, **UDS**! ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/42 "2019-06-07T03:58:01Z")
Not bad **UDS** but I think all you meant to say is NHS is on the table, and it will be a phenomenal deal. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/43 "2019-06-07T04:14:05Z")
One of Trump’s maddening traits is that he’s incapable of saying anything _isn’t_ on the table. He axiomatically will not rule anything out, because he believes that’s a bad negotiating tactic. If you asked him if he was considering starting a nuclear war with Europe, he would refuse to say he absolutely was not ([cite](https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-wont-rule-out-using-nukes-in-europe/)). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/44 "2019-06-07T04:27:20Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > In this case the two constituencies that have a vote on this are 1) the 300-and-change Conservative MPs in Parliament, and after they’ve narrowed it down to two final candidates then 2) the 150,000 or so paid-up members of the Conservative Party. That’s who decides who the next PM is. As I said, not representative. And who voted in the 300-and-change Conservative MPs in Parliament? They represent just about half the electorate. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/45 "2019-06-07T04:39:17Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > The real question is, why doesn’t everyone hate him? Because (a) American politics has a significant lunatic fringe component – e.g.- government-haters, conspiracy theorists, “sovereign citizens”, etc., and (b) though the former is nevertheless a minority of the electorate, the majority can’t be arsed to get out of their recliners and vote; the extent to which Americans don’t vote is almost unprecedented among major democracies. So the short answer is that they mostly do hate him, and Trump was elected by an enthusiastic minority of rebellious lunatics plus diehard Republicans who would vote for an orangutan if it had an “R” after its name – or for Trump, or Steve King, or Louie Gohmert, or Roy Moore. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/46 "2019-06-07T04:57:06Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > As a civilized human being, I am shocked the the Spanish are that much smarter than the French, the Germans, and the British. Eh, not smarter: just very, very used to being the target of international trolling / war by proxy, and proud of our own trolls. The way _forococheros_ see it, Russians need to pay for trolling; a _forocochero_ does it as a labor of love. (Forocoches is the biggest troll city in the Spanish-speaking sections of the internet.) ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/47 "2019-06-07T05:24:53Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > And who voted in the > 300-and-change Conservative MPs in Parliament? > > They represent just about half the electorate. 42%. The UK electoral system is odd that way. But what of it? The MPs vote in what are analogous to the primaries; winnowing out the candidates so that the number is reduced to two. But the winner is chosen by the deeply unrepresentative selectorate that is the branch membership of the Tory party. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/48 "2019-06-07T07:37:05Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > Anyway, my guess is that Trump’s apparent desire to undermine NATO, which has helped guarantee peace in Europe for 70+ years, also doesn’t sit well with Britain, who has probably enjoyed going the past several decades without sending a generation of its young people to be killed on the Continent. Nato really isn’t front of mind for British people - we give our fair share to it, and pull our weight militarily around the globe, and really don’t look upon America as protecting us. More likely, we look upon America as bullying us, and Trump is the biggest bully in the playground. And as giant twat, let’s face it. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/49 "2019-06-07T07:53:42Z")
The UK [isn’t](https://youtu.be/5I0xVYLbeL8?t=91) [an](https://youtu.be/7SkBw8KHX2U?t=30) [outlier](https://www.democracynow.org/2019/6/6/headlines/irish_protesters_decry_trumps_racism_misogyny_and_climate_denial) in this respect. Not that every country holds massive protests when he comes to visit (I couldn’t find any particular evidence of protests in France or Germany). But it hasn’t been uncommon in Europe. Cause, y’know, he’s hugely influential plus also completely fucking awful ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/50 "2019-06-07T11:41:15Z")
From an opinion column this morning: > [@](#): > > Trump, of course, is different. This faux-pas barely registers on the ever-growing list of conventions he has ridden roughshod over at home and abroad: appointing family members, hiding business ventures that pose conflicts of interest with foreign policy, attacking opponents in the most crude and personal terms, inventing policy via tweet, trying to meddle with a federal investigation, and repeating known falsehoods before lambasting the “fake news media” for reporting that they are untrue. > **[Trump forfeited the respect that the presidency deserves - CityAM](https://www.cityam.com/trump-forfeited-the-respect-that-the-presidency-deserves/)** > > Show respect for the office, if not for the man. This was the finger-wagging admonishment heard across the UK this week, as the President of the United States graced our tiny island with his presence, and was greeted by crowds of protesters.... ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/51 "2019-06-07T13:18:50Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > From your list, it looks like the average Briton is similar to the average US Democrat. If you asked the average Canadian, Australian or Japanese what they thought of US presidents, they would probably think much the same thing. My wife (born/raised in Japan) keeps up with Japanese news sources on an ongoing basis. She notes that the stupidity of the things that Trump says is somehow lost when translated into Japanese, so it may be that the average Japanese person has an inflated perception of his intellect and demeanor. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/52 "2019-06-07T13:23:38Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They represent just about half the electorate. Well, actually 42% of the 68% who voted in 2017, so something less than a third of the electorate. And if you count the 9% of the 37% who turned out for the European elections, that’s down to roughly 3% of the electorate. As for Trump, it’s partly contempt for his personal failings, partly fear of both what can and can’t be predicted in his behaviour, and partly that many of us just expected better of you. Another point on the NHS issue: it’s not just the question of whether the likes of Kaiser Permanente would be allowed to bid for commissions of NHS services. It’s more that the whole system might be hollowed out, by the combination of the bias towards outsourcing written into the last NHS Act and the “investor-state dispute resolution” systems in similar agreements (allowing companies to sue governments for loss of expected income resulting from state regulations), which would allow them to enforce cherry-picking of the easier services, leaving a reduced state service to deal with the difficult ones. Some of the pro-Brexit and pro-Americanisation voices are quite keen on demolishing the NHS. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/53 "2019-06-07T14:23:21Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Nato really isn’t front of mind for British people - we give our fair share to it, and pull our weight militarily around the globe, and really don’t look upon America as protecting us. > > More likely, we look upon America as bullying us, and Trump is the biggest bully in the playground. And as giant twat, let’s face it. Fair points. I wasn’t thinking of the US protecting the UK so much as NATO in general providing stability and cooperation across Europe. If the US says “Eh, forget NATO”, it would seem to undermine the global order that has helped prevent any major European wars for the past 70+ years. Point taken, though. And, yeah, Trump is, without a doubt, a giant twat. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/54 "2019-06-07T14:45:34Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Why does the UK hate Trump so much? They’ve spent more than 100 years expecting The Hun to attack from the East… only to find that Trump comes from the West. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/55 "2019-06-10T18:06:27Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > And who voted in the > 300-and-change Conservative MPs in Parliament? > > They represent just about half the electorate. No they do not, the Brits call that first past the post and they still like it. Wait until next general election, when due to vote splitting among parties some constituencies will be won with under 30% of the vote cast or under 20% of the electorate. Neither the Torys nor Labour have ever won 50% of the vote since WWII, [cite](http://www.ukpolitical.info/ConvLab.htm), though the torys came close in 1955 and 1959. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/56 "2019-06-12T12:59:52Z")
Well, there’s plenty of contempt and disdain for him on his own side of the pond: > [@](#): > > [Group wants to protest president’s 4th of July speech with ‘Baby Trump’ balloon](https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/447997-group-wants-to-protest-presidents-4th-of-july-speech-with-baby) > > An activist group is hoping to protest President Trump’s planned Lincoln Memorial 4th of July address with an orange, yellow haired “Baby Trump” blimp that also appeared during his visits to the U.K… > > The group wants to fly the blimp over “any open grassy area nearest to [the] Lincoln Memorial,” the Post reported, citing the National Park Service permit application… ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/57 "2019-06-12T13:19:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Group wants to protest president’s 4th of July speech with ‘Baby Trump’ balloon > > An activist group is hoping to protest President Trump’s planned Lincoln Memorial 4th of July address with an orange, yellow haired “Baby Trump” blimp that also appeared during his visits to the U.K… > > The group wants to fly the blimp over “any open grassy area nearest to [the] Lincoln Memorial,” the Post reported, citing the National Park Service permit application… If it can’t be rigged that only his true believers are close to the stage, he’s gonna spend the day in ‘executive’ time. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/58 "2019-06-12T13:24:39Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Well, there’s plenty of contempt and disdain for him on his own side of the pond: The link won’t open on my work computer. What do they need? Do they need help with funding? Tell me what they need! ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/59 "2019-06-12T13:41:09Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I get that Trump is an easy person to hate. > > But with the Baby Trump balloons and the tens of thousands showing up at protests, it leaves me with the impression their distaste for Trump is more of a personal nature. > Oh and by the way, I’d like to give a tip of the hat to my friends across the pond. You guys know how to snark WAY better than us Yanks. 🙂 Why shouldn’t they be enormously motivated to hate him? The American presidency is not some abstract curiosity to people around the world. Whoever holds that office has enormous potential to affect lives everywhere. The U.S. president might not quite be executive of the world, but it’s a very important office to everyone. Everyone has an interest in who holds that office and what actions and decisions ē takes. Beyond that are the specific things that this particular president has said and done to offend British people in particular. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138/60 "2019-06-12T13:47:29Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > Fair points. I wasn’t thinking of the US protecting the UK so much as NATO in general providing stability and cooperation across Europe. In Europe there’s no such perception, really. On the military front, countries don’t need to be part of NATO to take part in international campaigns or to host NATO troops; on the civilian front, most people don’t even know NATO has a civilian front. I happened to get a NATO research grant which had really nice conditions (or rather, very few conditions compared with most others), but if my boss and one of his pals hadn’t known about that particular program I would never have heard of it. They simply don’t publicize those aspects. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-uk-hate-trump-so-much/835138.md?page=4)