Opinion

Irresponsible of Donald Trump to give platform to Britain First

Donald Trump's latest Twitter outburst, retweeting anti-Muslim videos from the far right Britain First organisation and then attacking Theresa May, not only shows how unsuited he is to the responsibilities of his office but also offers encouragement to those promoting an agenda of hate.

This is a controversy that any other savvy leader of a western democracy would have completely avoided.

However, Mr Trump is a leader like no other, certainly no other US president, an office which traditionally places a high value on dignity, integrity and moral authority.

It is not yet a year since he assumed control of the White House yet his gaffes, misjudgments, loose relationship with the truth and generally unorthodox behaviour - particularly on social media - have ensured this has been one of the most memorable periods in recent presidential history.

It may be that Mr Trump is an unapologetic contrarian, a bully who simply enjoys annoying people and trampling on carefully constructed diplomatic understandings.

But he presents world leaders who do observe the diplomatic niceties with a problem.

How do they deal with a volatile, impulsive maverick with a superficial grasp of serious issues and limited interest in the concerns of the wider world?

After all, as US president he cannot be ignored but standing up to his irrational outbursts is not without risk.

Theresa May was well within her rights to tell Mr Trump he was wrong for retweeting videos from Britain First, a vile, racist organisation that stirs up hatred against Muslims.

What many people on this side of the Atlantic find incredible is that once the nature of this organisation was made known, rather than accepting it was not the wisest move to effectively endorse Britain First, the White House defended his actions while Mr Trump went on the offensive against Theresa May.

She may now be regretting inviting Mr Trump on a state visit to Britain, something that is likely to cause deep public anger if it does happen.

But we also have to bear in mind that the UK is banking on securing favourable trade deals with the US once we leave the EU.