Dear Theresa,
I don’t envy your misfortune in meeting Donald Trump this week. If I had to meet him, first thing to pop to mind would be sourcing a stiff drink both before and after the event.
But it’s not me meeting the Donald, it’s you. And despite the discomfort that comes with being in his presence, you will also be in a position to do what we all want to do: challenge Trump’s outdated and dangerous policies.
Meeting Trump is not an opportunity you should pass up and fill with empty phrases about the special relationship or gentle mumblings as he reels out his banal tropes about Making America Great Again. You should use your position to challenge Trump; for even if you could do nothing to change his views, it would be unacceptable to see the Prime Minister of this country playing the role of silent enabler to one of the most hate-filled presidencies of all time.
So here’s what I propose you ask the President during his visit.
As a woman, I’m sure Trump’s attitude towards women concerns you deeply. So, to kick things off, I would ask him whether he considers himself a feminist. However he answers, you could go with a follow up asking why his behaviour suggests he thinks women aren’t equal to men, why their bodies are something for people like him to touch, grab, and grope and why such outdated beliefs could ever qualify him to be ‘leader of the free world’.
Number two, I’d ask if he’s ever met any of the children who he has incarcerated. I’d ask him to look me in the eye and tell me that he believes families seeking nothing more than a safe and secure home deserve to be split up, thrown in jail, and deported back to the danger they tried so desperately to flee.
Number three, you should ask the President about his Brexit comments. You might not always share the same opinions as your former foreign secretary, but I remember Boris telling Barack Obama to butt out during the 2016 referendum campaign. Trump can’t even keep the White House in order, so I wouldn’t take his advice on Brexit, as much as you need some.
Next I’d ask Trump about his involvement with one Nigel Farage. In what ways did he and Nigel work together on Trump’s campaign and on the Brexit campaign - and how many friends do they have in common we should know about?
Lastly, I would look him in the eye and ask him if, at the end of all this, he thinks he can look back on his time in the Oval Office with pride. Every politician - and that includes our own MPs - should be reminded of their incredible privilege and the fickleness of power. It’s not their futures to waste.
Yours sincerely,
Eloise
Eloise Todd is CEO of Best for Britain, a political campaign for a second referendum on a Brexit deal