The Atlantic

Using D-Day to Remind Trump Who His Real Allies Are

Trump has expressed affection for authoritarian leaders, so it’s unclear what impression the celebrations will make on the president.
Source: Chris Jackson / Pool / Reuters

PORTSMOUTH, England—Strongmen, autocrats, and illiberal adversaries of the United States have long had a place in President Donald Trump’s affections. Democratically elected allies: not so much.

Hosting Trump for a state visit that ended Wednesday, Britain used every bit of pageantry and symbolism in its arsenal to impress upon the “America First” president that it’s important to distinguish friend from foe.

Here in the English harbor town of Portsmouth, a jumping-off point for the D-Day landings that will have taken place 75 years ago on Thursday, Trump watched wartime reenactments and a retelling of the Allied invasion that would repel Hitler’s forces and free Europe from Nazi control.

More than

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Atlantic

The Atlantic7 min readAmerican Government
The Americans Who Need Chaos
This is Work in Progress, a newsletter about work, technology, and how to solve some of America’s biggest problems. Sign up here. Several years ago, the political scientist Michael Bang Petersen, who is based in Denmark, wanted to understand why peop
The Atlantic6 min read
Florida’s Experiment With Measles
The state of Florida is trying out a new approach to measles control: No one will be forced to not get sick. Joseph Ladapo, the state’s top health official, announced this week that the six cases of the disease reported among students at an elementar
The Atlantic7 min readIntelligence (AI) & Semantics
I Went To A Rave With The 46-Year-Old Millionaire Who Claims To Have The Body Of A Teenager
The first few steps on the path toward living forever alongside the longevity enthusiast Bryan Johnson are straightforward: “Go to bed on time, eat healthy food, and exercise,” he told a crowd in Brooklyn on Saturday morning. “But to start, you guys

Related Books & Audiobooks