Star comment: May has to solve issue of Trump

He is the most powerful man on earth, the leader of the Western world.

Though American and the United Kingdom are separated by the Atlantic, we remain – according to most of our senior politicians at least – the closest of neighbours and best of friends.

In many ways, the USA is our most important ally, particularly in the post-Brexit age. And yet it is an uncomfortable relationship; it doesn't feel quite right, there is a sense of unease.

While we are frequently thought to be on the same page as America in terms of trade and foreign policy, we are not. And while we might have formerly assumed that there were shared values and interests, at times and particularly since the election of President Trump, such thoughts are a bridge too far.

President Trump was democratically elected and has every right to his views. And yet his controversial travel ban against seven nations, his pre-election comments about women and some of his remarks and actions towards the disabled and non-white jar.

He doesn't have the common touch. He is more of a bruiser, rather than a man it is easy to warm to. The world feels more uncertain, less safe, more unstable. Offering respect to Vladimir Putin, at best a controversial and aggressive leader himself, while war continues to be fought in Eastern Ukraine sits uneasily with many.

Prime Minister Theresa May has decided that the best way forward is to befriend President Trump and avoid public criticism of him. Her policy runs the risk of being viewed as his poodle, just as Tony Blair was considered the lapdog of George W Bush.

And yet Mrs May risks undermining her own credibility if she rolls over and lets President Trump tickle her tummy. In inviting President Trump for a State Visit, she has reportedly embarrassed the Queen, and has upset at least the 1.8 million signatories of the recent petition opposing the move.

Whether such circumstances mean it is right for House of Commons Speaker John Bercow to dress down the President is another matter. Etiquette decrees that the Speaker should be neutral.

Britain faces an uncomfortable decision over whether to put aside political concerns for the sake of our national interest, or make a stand against outspoken views. Theresa May has attempted to do both, without addressing either satisfactorily.