CNN Finds Humor in UK Parliament Insulting Trump to Downgrade State Visit

CNN via Newsbusters ^ | February 20, 2017 11:55 PM EST | Nicholas Fondacaro

[markomalley]

Debate raged in the United Kingdom’s Parliament Monday over whether or not President Donald Trump should be extended the warm welcome of a full state visit. As insults targeting Trump flew back and forth, CNN seemed to get a good laugh out it all. “Insults flying over Trump's invitation for a formal state visit to the UK,” hyped Erin Burnett during her show OutFront, “One Member of Parliament today likening it to quote, “pimping out the queen.’” All while the on-screen headline read “Can God Save the Queen…From Trump?”

“President Trump doesn't just get people stirred up at home. Look what happened in the British parliament. All because Britain's prime minister invited President Trump to [a state visit],” reported CNN’s Jeanne Moos as she played clips of members of Parliament yelling and screaming. “I'm standing here as a woman being shouted down by women,” Anne Main of the Conservative Party can be heard saying.

Moos seemed in awe of the number of Britons who were opposed to the President getting the chance to meet and have dinner with the queen of England. “Over 1.8 million UK residents signed a petition saying it was okay for President Trump to come visit, but that he should not get an official state visit, ‘because it would cause embarrassment to her majesty the queen,’” she said while quoting the petition.

She also seemed amused by Labour Party MP Paul Flynn who hammered Trump with disparaging comments about his intelligence. “Like a petulant child. The intellectual capacity of the president is protozoan,” he exclaimed. “Protozoan? Like, “a single-celled microscopic animal,” Moos asked inquisitively as she literally read the result of a Google search.

“Members of parliament went there,” she touted as clips played of MPs talking about Trump’s controversial comments to Billy Bush:

TULIP SIDDIQ [Labour]: Can you really lay out the red carpet for someone who talked about grabbing women by the [ bleep ]?

…

DAVID LAMMY [Labour]: I think about a man who thinks it's okay to go and grab [ bleep ].

CAROL MONAGKAN [Scottish National Party]: I became concerned when I heard comments like “grab them by the [ bleep ].”

JEANNE MOOS: The Scottish lilt helped.

The CNN reporter even remarked on the creativity of the anti-Trump protesters outside the Parliament building. “Outside parliament, protesters rallied, ‘God save the queen from Donald Trump,’” she noted, “The president was portrayed as King Kong, clutching the monarch as he scaled Big Ben.” Moos got in on the fun too, jokingly saying, “God save the queen from this debate.”

After watching clips of Flynn stating that the visit was equivalent to “pimping out the queen for the Donald Trump,” CNN cut back to a giggling Burnett who admitted, “there’s just something about that.”

Transcript below: 

CNN
Erin Burnett OutFront
February 20, 2017
7:58:00 PM Eastern

ERIN BURNETT: Insults flying over Trump's invitation for a formal state visit to the UK. One Member of Parliament today likening it to quote, “pimping out the queen.” Here's Jeanne Moos.

[Cuts to video]

JEANNE MOOS: President Trump doesn't just get people stirred up at home.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Sit down! Sit down!

MOOS: Look what happened in the British parliament.

ANNE MAIN [Conservative MP]: Let's have some fake outrage here. I'm standing here as a woman being shouted down by women.

MOOS: All because Britain's prime minister invited President Trump to –

THERESA MAY: Pay a state visit to the United Kingdom later this year.

MOOS: Over 1.8 million UK residents signed a petition saying it was okay for President Trump to come visit, but that he should not get an official state visit, “because it would cause embarrassment to her majesty the queen.” Opposition members of parliament lobbed insults at President Trump –

PAUL FLYNN [Labour Party MP]: Like a petulant child. The intellectual capacity of the president is protozoan.

MOOS [Reading from a literal Google search]: Protozoan? Like, “a single-celled microscopic animal?”

TULIP SIDDIQ [Labour]: Can you really lay out the red carpet for someone who talked about grabbing women by the [ bleep ]?

MOOS: Members of parliament went there.

DAVID LAMMY [Labour]: I think about a man who thinks it's okay to go and grab [ bleep ].

CAROL MONAGKAN [Scottish National Party MP]: I became concerned when I heard comments like “grab them by the [ bleep ].”

MOOS: The Scottish lilt helped.

EDWARD LEIGH [Conservative]: Which one of us has not made some ridiculous sexual comment sometime in our past?

MOOS: The queen, probably. She would be President Trump's official host as she was for President Obama, that time he accidentally toasted –

BARACK OBAMA: To the queen.

MOOS: Right through Britain's national anthem. Outside parliament, protesters rallied, “God save the queen from Donald Trump.” The president was portrayed as King Kong, clutching the monarch as he scaled Big Ben.

PARLIAMENT: NO!

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I think the no’s have it.

MOOS: In the end, the government made clear –

UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: The visit should happen. The visit will happen.

MOOS: But, god save the queen from this debate.

FLYNN: Pimping out the queen for the Donald Trump..

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN…

UNIDENTIFIED MAN 3: Mr. Walker I don’t think it’s in order to refer to “pimping out” our sovereign.

MOOS: New York.

[Cuts back to live]

BURNETT: There’s just something about that. [laughter]  

[okie 54]

Trump needs to let the UK know they need the US a lot more than we need them.

[SteveH]

No, that would open Trump up to allegations of meddling in the internal affairs of the UK.

Trump should just boycott a visit to the UK until the snotty immature UK Parliament cleans up its act. Anything other that that is either casting pearls before swine, or runs the risk of blowback and (more) negative publicity and MSM criticism.

[JPJones]

“Why? The US contains just as many anti Trumpets, certainly more in absolute terms. The government invited him and these opposition MPs are in the minority and don’t reflect public opinion, which supports the state visit.”

Why go? And risk that the welcome is not fitting the President of the US. Or some other diplomatic slight.

The risks outweigh the return, by alot.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

You are always going to get anti-American trolls turning up to protest a US Presidential visit in a foreign country. The only countries were that wouldn’t happen are probably repressive dictatorships that would crush any protest with force of arms, and which no democratic leader worth a damn should be going anyway.

[JPJones]

I’m not talking about that, I’m referring to the discussion as to whether or not Trump gets proper welcoming “a full state visit” from the UK gov.

Really if there is any question about it by MP’s etc, then the visit should be scrapped.

[JPJones]

“Trump needs to let the UK know they need the US a lot more than we need them.”

Yup.

[al_c]

That’s no surprise. Remember when one of them called Bush “chimp” on air and giggled about it?

[WMarshal]

All too true, America does have a surplus of far-left twats that are losing their minds. However, America is blessed with vast oceans on both sides, an almost ridiculous surplus of agricultural land, energy reserves, metals, etc., and a very large Navy. Because of this America needs Britain as an ally far less than Britain needs America as an ally. It therefor makes sense that the members of Parliament should be a little less bold in insulting the highest elected official in America and the Americans who voted for him.

[WMarshal]

When President Trump speaks in England he should highlight his Scottish ancestry and do what he can to identify himself with the average UK citizen. He should say things like “I know that I have said things that have ruffled a few feathers here but, being half-Scottish, my habit of bluntly speaking the truth is somewhat genetically hard-wired.” Another would be “Despite my earned and acquired wealth I guess I am still just a dressed-up chav who is tired of the aristocratic class stealing from the hard-working poor.”

[dhs12345]

And were probably against BREXIT. Didn’t Trump support it? They are probably still angry about that.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

America still needs allies though, and we are one of the us’s largest foreign investors. It makes no sense to F Britain off just because some lefty twats are whining about Trump’s victories. I’m sure you wouldn’t have been happy for the us to have been judged on the basis of Obama.