Editorial: Trump charm offensive in Europe undermined by his record

EDITORIAL:

US President Donald Trump's European trip was the closest he gets to a charm offensive.

Unlike previous sojourns across the pond, Trump avoided run-ins with fellow leaders.

Now-caretaker British Prime Minister Theresa May, who has resigned as Conservative Party leader, had few final troubles with Trump.

The President also sailed through D-Day events with occasional sparring partner French President Emmanuel Macron, watching flypasts and talking to veterans.

There were plenty of cheerful photos of Trump with the Queen. A UK state visit is about the pomp, and both the royals and the Trumps — his children tagged along — seemed determined to project positivity with the pageantry.

Trump being Trump, he had to pick the scab of his feud with London's Mayor. But Sadiq Khan and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn get as much mileage out of that political theatre as Trump does.

There were fumbles, such as his use of "nasty" in relation to the Duchess of Sussex and his interview where he attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by a D-Day cemetery. But his opposition seemed subdued — the UK protests were smaller than during Trump's previous visit.

In his D-Day address in France he praised the courage of the soldiers and the alliance that won World War II. "Our bond is unbreakable," he said.

Trump can handle the ceremonial side of the role when he wants to. On this trip he was trying his best to be reassuring, stable and likeable, more like a traditional leader who believes in multilateral partnerships.

The trouble for the President is he now has a record of rule, including his nationalist, 'America First' approach and pressure tactics.

He has talked up autocratic leaders while pushing hard for Nato allies to raise their defence spending.

His frequent tactics of hyping a crisis and then 'solving' it, when applied to North Korea resulted in two summits but little substance. North Korea has resumed testing of short-range missiles.

He pulled out of the Paris climate agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

He has created a risky tariff trade war with China which could weaken the US economy — on which Trump's re-election next year largely relies.

What helped Trump get elected in 2016 may not work in 2020. For instance, CNN reported polling has shown that positive opinions of free trade have increased in the US and negative opinions have fallen compared to what they were before the 2016 election.

Both the 2018 US Midterm elections and last month's European elections raised questions about how durable the Trumpian populist moment is.

The European elections also signalled a surge in concern over climate. That is now spilling into the US 2020 Democratic primary.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee's entire candidacy is based on confronting the climate crisis. Both former Vice-President Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren released plans to tackle it last week.

In today's fragmented world, global warming is the nearest thing to a dangerous common foe.

Trump, praising the alliance against Nazism last week, is on the wrong side of history when it comes to the climate crisis.