Britain’s relationship with America is so special they literally call it the Special Relationship. But Trump, particularly since his return to the Oval Office, has had precious little interest in America’s traditional allies
Petty Donald Trump is on the verge of abandoning one of the greatest alliances in the history of the world – to back a delirious madman with a chainsaw.
Britain’s relationship with America is so special they literally call it the Special Relationship. But Trump, particularly since his return to the Oval Office, has had precious little interest in America’s traditional allies. Instead he’s thrown his lot in with some of the world’s most scurrilous reprobates and set up an alternative United Nations – with himself as chairman for life.
Among most flamboyant of those reprobates is Argentine President Javier Milei – a man whose sideburns give ageing Northern Soul fan, but everything else about him screams Poundland Pinochet. Milei’s most famous stream of outburst saw him describe Pope Francis, by all accounts a fairly gentle man, as a “communist turd” a “piece of s**t” and a “leftist son of a b***h”. Now he’s facing an election that he’s not at all certain of winning, and his old buddy Donald is doing everything he can to try and prop him up.
Trump already buoyed the Argentine economy with a pledge to import a ton of beef to the US – something American ranchers did not take kindly to. And now, still sore from Keir Starmer politely declining to follow him into a costly quagmire of a war in the Middle East with no clear objectives and an even less clear exit strategy, Trump is considering how he might extract his revenge on Britain.
Speaking to GB News this week, Trump effectively said “Nice Falkland Islands you have there, be a shame if Argentina invaded them.” And he gave the distinct impression that if Argentina did decide to put boots on the 4,700 square miles of ground that make up the Falklands, Trump’s America probably wouldn’t be minded to stand in their way. Milei, meanwhile, has taken Trump’s theatrical shrug as an indiction that now is the time, and in a televised address declared the “winds of change” are behind Argentina’s claim to the Islands.
When he wasn’t invoking the Scorpions, Milei announced plans to sanction oil companies working off the coast of the islands, and declared the need to “work fast” to end Britain’s “occupation.”
But even if Trump doesn’t commit forces to protect the Falklands from invasion – not that he could, because most of America’s military resources are in the Gulf – an Argentinian invasion probably wouldn’t last super long. They can’t just swim in, swan into Government House and put their feet up this time. This isn’t 1982, and while we probably won’t be in a position to deploy Prince Andrew this time, I do quite fancy our chances.
There are more than 1,000 troops, aircraft and a Royal Navy vessel defending the Islands. Trump’s best mate wants to look like a rockstar war hero in time for the election. He may wish to consider buying a Lambretta instead.