FIRST came Tiffany Trump. Then Eric. Then Donald Junior. The front row seats were beginning to fill up with the well-scrubbed cast of the President’s Napoleonic dynasty.
It was all happening amid the imperial splendour of the Foreign Office’s Durbar Court, an imposing space of Scottish red granite and grey marble used through the years to impress foreign dignitaries, including once the Sultan of Turkey.
As the clock ticked towards press conference show-time, there were more officials and ministers arriving, each by the minute growing in importance. By the time the statuesque Ivanka arrived blowing kisses, you knew the President was not far behind.
Then First Lady Melania emerged as if walking down a Hollywood catwalk followed by her chaperone Philip May; more Cricklewood than Hollywood.
Seconds later, The Sultan of New York emerged to a chorus of camera clicks accompanied by a subdued-looking outgoing premier.
Like previous transatlantic press conferences, this one turned into a love-in with most of the gushing rhetoric coming from Mr T.
The PM spoke of a “precious and profound” friendship with America and the President described the dusty special relationship as the “greatest alliance the world has ever known”.
Mr T also insisted a post-Brexit Britain could expect a “phenomenal” trade deal with “tremendous potential”. Mrs May was inwardly singing.
The President hailed the UK as a “great country” and “special place”. Everything was going so well until he had to...answer journalists’ questions.
On Huawei, he glossed over the security concerns Washington had, saying reassuringly: “We have an incredible intelligence relationship and we will be able to work out any differences.”
But including the NHS in any future trade deal was a mite trickier. Mr T raised eyebrows across Britain when he declared: “When you're dealing in trade everything is on the table; so the NHS…everything will be on the table. Absolutely."
Sensing a wave of outrage rippling out across the nation, the alarmed PM quickly interjected: “The point in making trade deals is of course that both sides negotiate and come to an agreement..."
Yet the damage was done.
As always, the idiosyncratic President blew hot and cold. He continued his spat with London Mayor Sadiq Khan – “he’s done a poor job” – and began a new one with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose request for a meeting he snubbed and whom he described as a “negative force”.
In contrast, Mr T praised his host, saying she deserved "a lot of credit" over Brexit and made clear he liked Boris Johnson, who would do a “very good job” as her successor. He also name-checked another Tory contender Jeremy Hunt, who was sitting in the front row. Asked about Michael Gove, the President said he did not know him – even though he has met him – and quipped to laughter: “Would he do a good job, Jeremy?"
Spotted later entering the US ambassador’s residence was none other than the President’s old chum Nigel Farage. No doubt, he was thinking: why can’t Nigel be PM? No comment.
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