Trump in London for NATO summit amid election race

US President Donald Trump landed in Britain on Monday ahead of the NATO summit, arriving in London just 10 days before a crucial general election.

En route, Trump boasted that he had convinced European allies to boost their defence spending, tweeting: "Since I took office, the number of NATO allies fulfilling their obligations more than DOUBLED."

Fellow NATO leaders will be relieved that Trump, who derailed last year's summit agenda with his demands, appears to be satisfied with how the allies have stepped up their military investment.

But Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson will still be nervous that Trump's presence will hurt him in the closing stages of the British election campaign.

The pro-Brexit premier is the favourite in the opinion polls to win a majority in next week's vote, but opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has attacked him for his closeness to Trump.

In particular, Labour campaigners have warned that Johnson is ready to grant US drug firms more profitable access to the UK National Health Service in exchange for a US trade deal.

Johnson denies this.

Air Force One landed at Stansted Airport outside London and the president and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, set off in a motorcade for Winfield House, a stately residence in central London.

The US leader is due to hold a number of bilateral meetings alongside the main summit over two days, and to attend dinner with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

Back in Washington, the political news is dominated by attempts by opposition lawmakers to impeach Trump , accused of misusing his office to bully Ukraine into providing dirt on a domestic rival.

"The Democrats, the radical-left Democrats, the do-nothing Democrats, decided when I'm going to NATO -- this was set up a year ago -- that when I'm going to NATO, that was the exact time," Trump said as he left.

"It's an absolute disgrace what they're doing to our country," he said. "The whole thing is a hoax. Everybody knows it."

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Sri Lanka president warns West investment needed to keep China at bay
New Delhi (AFP) Dec 1, 2019
Sri Lanka's new president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has warned India and Western nations that his country will be forced to seek finance from China again if they do not invest in the island. Rajapaksa told the Hindu newspaper in an interview published Sunday that other Asian nations would also turn to China's giant Belt and Road infrastructure project without alternative help. Sri Lanka has traditionally been allied to India but became close to China, securing about $7 billion in loans and investment, ... read more