Theresa May tugs on Donald Trump’s Scottish heart-strings with a sentimental gift
4 min read
Mrs May tries to leverage the celtic-connection to win over the US President with a personal gift
President Trump is the gift that keeps on giving – at least for the Brexiteers - as he flails around on the prospect of a trade deal between the US and the UK, praises Boris Johnson and gives unsolicited advice about how much more forceful Mrs May should be with the EU.
But in a bid to win over the commander-in-chief, Mrs May has shelled out for some major gifts for the President and the First Lady to stuff in their suitcases before they pop-over to Moscow for tea with Vlad.
In a canny move, Downing Street have gifted the sentimental President with an illustrated ancestral chart that traces back three generations of Mr Trump’s Scottish family, starting with his mother, Mary MacLeod, and dating back to the birth of his great, great, great grandfather, Kenneth on the bleak and rain swept island of Stornoway in 1776 – the same year that the US finally broke free from the chokehold of English rule, and claimed their independence.
Meanwhile, First Lady Melania Trump has been given her own sweetener, in the form of a bespoke scent from Floris, the world’s oldest independent family perfumer who boast Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe and the Queen among their distinguished clientele.
The scent, ‘The First Lady’, is made up from cherry blossom from Washington DC, rose heart to mark the national flowers of the two nations, and bergamon, which has a distinctive pong of Earl grey tea.
Number 10 has not yet released the cost for creating this unique bouquet which is presented in a custom-made, monogrammed bottle, but the price-tag is likely to be as eye-watering as the scent.
It’s not the first time that the Prime Minister has tried to curry favour with the President by playing on his Scottish Heritage. When Mrs May popped across the pond as the first foreign leader to visit the newly-elected Trump, she brought with her a ceremonial two-handed drinking cup called a quaich, used to enjoy a nip of whisky with a guest.
The cup of friendship was an odd choice of gift for a famed tee-totaller but it has probably added an element of glamour to The Donald’s ritualistic consumption of Diet Coke..
Meanwhile, Melania was gifted a hamper of British goodies including apples from the Chequers orchard – which is only feet away from the scene of today’s toe-curling press conference where the President left Mrs May looking like a gooseberry.
It remains to be seen what the President has brought for the Prime Minister. A slap-up meal and a quick round on the back nine at Trump Turnberry, perhaps.
