A source in Trump's inner circle has told the Times that the President "won't put up with being lectured by anyone" on the issue of climate change, which happens to be an important pet issue for the British royal. Another source added that Trump would "erupt" if pushed on green issues.
Trump is expected to pay a formal visit to the UK in June.
Passionate about the climate change problem, Charles opened the UN climate talks in Paris in 2015, and has called climate sceptics "the headless chicken brigade." The Prince has said that Trump's views on the issue were "frankly appalling." Last week, Penguin Publishers released a 48-page introductory guide to the issue co-written by the Prince.
In any case, UK media have said that Trump will be unable to avoid the Prince altogether, even if they do not have a formal sit-down, given Charles' status as the heir to the throne and diplomatic protocol which demands that he greet and dine with the American leader.
Observers have said that the rift between the two men may have "cast a cloud" over Prime Minister Theresa May's visit to Washington last week, where May attempted to reinforce the 'special relationship' between the two countries.
The Prime Minister met with Trump on Friday, becoming the first foreign leader to be received by the President. The two sides promised to work toward strengthening ties in commerce and foreign affairs, and discussed opportunities for enhanced cooperation against Daesh. However, Trump and May also appeared to disagree on Russia, with Trump saying that he wanted to have a "great relationship with all countries," while May insisted that Western countries should keep their anti-Russian sanctions in place.
Speaking to Radio Sputnik, Dr. Richard Wellings, director of the UK-based Institute of Economic Affairs, said that the Trump-May meeting was "all about maintaining economic confidence," and an effort by London to confirm that "the UK wouldn't be somehow isolated after Brexit, [and] that it would have these very strong relationships with major powers."
"The prospect of relatively good trading relations is obviously positive as well, particularly given the dangers that Trump would also think about protectionism against the UK and European countries," the analyst noted. "Of course that's less likely because he's [more] worried about competition from some of these low-cost countries, like Mexico and China, than from even higher-cost countries in Europe," he added.
As far as the possibility of a new major US-UK trade deal is concerned, Wellings believes that "it may not really be necessary, given the fact that in most areas the tariffs are already pretty low, and those areas that still have high tariffs are quite difficult [to change]." The analyst explained that in agriculture, for example, the vast amounts of regulations and subsidies on both sides of the Atlantic make it very difficult to create an even playing field and thus reduce trade barriers.
Political scientist and RIA Novosti contributor Gevorg Mirzayan has a different view, and believes that while there is no doubt that the UK needs the support of the US, especially post-Brexit, Washington may not need London to the same extent, which could lead to problems down the line. "And it's not just about the UK elite's need to answer for their words (during the election both May and Foreign Minister Boris Johnson criticized Trump's unsystemic nature), but that the interests of the UK and the US are beginning to diverge," Mirzayan explained.
The major factor in this divergence, according to Mirzayan, is the disagreement over Russia, and particularly over the overarching goals of the NATO alliance. Trump has repeatedly criticized the alliance for being "obsolete" and incapable of defending against the threat of Islamist terrorism, while May has talked instead about Russia's neighbors living in a "tough neighborhood" and the need to defend them against an aggressive Moscow. "Here," the analyst noted, Trump's "position differs from that of May and of other members of the current, Russophobic European elite."
During the press event, after the BBC reporter asked the Prime Minister about these disagreements, Trump jokingly interjected "we'll see what she says," playfully adding "This was your choice of a question? There goes that relationship." After responding to May's comments, Trump playfully concluded "So, Theresa, we never know about those things, do we? But I will tell you one thing: I'll be representing the American people very strongly. Thank you."
Mirzayan explained that "while the tone was playful, Trump's jokes were only jokes in part. He's not just making clear to his allies that they need to answer for the insults directed against him. Trump is showing how he sees the future of the relationship between the US and the UK. Former French economy minister Emmanuel Macron recently said that the UK is becoming a "vassal" state. By all indications, he's not far off from the truth," the expert concluded.
