The long, sad struggle of UK infant Charlie Gard has come to its end in the courts.
He will die soon, and become the new poster cause for right-to-life campaigners, Terri Schiavo having passed her sell-by.
Playing a cameo in the protracted legal battle is the American President, who can never resist the chance to turn any news event into one about him:
If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2017
Of course, he did nothing.
He's had bigger British fish to fry, as The Daily Mail reports:
Donald Trump has been asked to make a ‘dummy’ State visit to Britain this year to show he can avoid embarrassing the Queen.
He has been invited to come for brief talks with Theresa May – but with none of the Royal pomp and circumstance he wanted.
The decision will be hailed as a victory by nearly two million people who signed a petition calling for the trip to be downgraded to spare the Queen’s blushes because of Trump’s ‘misogyny and vulgarity’.
As a face-saving measure, the US President will be offered a State visit next year – but it won’t take place unless the low-profile trip is a success.
The ‘trial’ visit is bound to lead to comparisons with Trump’s starring role in The Apprentice US reality TV show.
The U-turn follows concern on both sides of the Atlantic that if his first formal visit to the UK since winning power is a full-blown State occasion it could be a disaster.
In London there are fears that demonstrations – or Trump’s eccentric antics – could embarrass the Queen. And Mrs May is desperate to avoid upsetting him to win a good post-Brexit trade deal with the US.
The White House is equally keen for Trump not to be subjected to ugly mass protests. By staging a ‘trial’ trip, both sides hope to take the sting out of the controversy. And if it is a shambles the subsequent State visit can be deferred – indefinitely if necessary.
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