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Sezin Öney, originally from Turkey, is based in Budapest and Istanbul. She her journalism career as a foreign news reporter in 1999 and she turned into political analysis as a columnist since 2007. Her interest in her main academic subject area of populism was sparked almost decade ago; and now she focuses specifically on populist leadership, and populism in Turkey and Hungary. She studied international relations, nationalism, international law, Jewish history, comparative politics and discourse analysis across Europe.
This article is definitely aptly named: it begins by describing the person it focuses on as follows:
"a racist, a serial liar, and either a sexual abuser or someone who falsely brags about being one in the apparent belief that this will impress other men in a metaphorical 'locker room’".
Yes, this was how the Scotsman, the national newspaper of Scotland, depicted the U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump reportedly told The Sun newspaper: “I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London", and added that he “used to love London as a city. I haven’t been there in a long time. But when they make you feel unwelcome, why would I stay there?”
The Trump baby in nappies blimp, the protests and scathing full-page editorial of the Scotsman ... Honestly, there was little to make feel Trump welcome during his U.K. visit, despite the cordial reception and red carpet treatment by Prime Minister Theresa May and Queen Elizabeth II.
The Sun interview of Trump that caused a stir in the U.K. was published one day before the Scotsman editorial. In the Sun interview, Trump criticized May's "soft Brexit plan", and also affirmed that it would “kill” any future deal between the U.S. and the U.K.
The Scotsman editorial did not mince its words when criticizing the British politicians alongside Trump:
“So, as British politicians hide their distaste in an attempt to get a much-needed post-Brexit trade deal, we should all remember what kind of man Trump really is.
Nevertheless, the British politicians themselves were quite critical of Trump. Conservative Parliament member Sarah Wollaston told The Guardian: “The divisive, dog-whistle rhetoric in his Sun interview is repulsive". And, "Trump is a racist & disrespects our nation" tweeted Anna Turley, a Labour Party member of Parliament. All in all, Trump seems to have united the U.K. with the negative sentiments he generated, from Scotland to London and from Tories to Labour.