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Theresa May is set to become the first foreign leader to hold talks with President Trump
Theresa May will be the first foreign leader to meet her American counterpart, who had previously been accused of snubbing her after she was only the seventh Prime Minister or President he called upon winning the US election.
Work has begun for the Prime Minister to visit for “a couple of days” after Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist, appealed for the trip to be brought forward.
A government source said Trump’s team are keen to embrace a Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher relationship, as the billionaire holds Mr Reagan as his "political hero".
The source said: “They are really, really keen to capture the Reagan-Thatcher idea: A new populist in the White House and a strong woman in Number 10. They want to rekindle that as soon as possible.”
Although it is yet to be confirmed in Mr Trump’s diary, officials have claimed the visit will remain “business-like”, so a series of other Washington DC events will not be included.
Donald Trump becomes 45th U.S. PRESIDENT
Fri, January 20, 2017
The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States will mark the commencement of the four-year term of Donald Trump as President and Mike Pence as Vice President. A public ceremony will be held on Friday, January 20, 2017, on the West Front of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
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US President Donald Trump points to the stands as he walks with his wife Melania during the Inaugural Parade.
The source added: “The Trump team wouldn’t do all this ridiculous ceremonial stuff. It will be very business-like. There won’t be a lot of fanfare ceremonies and grand balls.”
Sir Kim Darroch, the British ambassador to America, is said to have been “hobnobbing” Mr Trump’s inner team for weeks in the hopes of arranging a trip and Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, also discussed plans for a prime ministerial visit when he met key Trump figures in a visit earlier this month.
But other leading cabinet ministers are said to have been happy to let Mrs May “own” the relationship with President Trump.
President Trump’s decision to host Mrs May as the first foreign leader is a stark contrast from Barack Obama who removed the bust of Sir Winston Churchill from the Oval Office and recently declared Angela Merkel as his “closest international partner”.
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Boris Johnson expressed his hopes for a PM visit to meet Trump
Obama went as far as to use his final Presidential call to phone the German Chancellor with a spokesman for the White House justifying his move saying they had "eight years of friendship and partnership".
A Number 10 spokesman said that “no date has been confirmed” for the Mrs May's trip, when approached for comment.
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