LONDON — The Trump baby blimp has taken to the air over London once again.
The 20-foot long orange inflatable became the emblem of protests when President Trump visited the U.K. last year, drawing invitations to appear around the world.
It soared into London’s gray, blustery sky on Tuesday morning after London police gave their permission and its owners reached a fundraising target.
The blimp appeared as Trump’s visit pivoted from the pomp of a state visit to the politics of government, with a business forum and talks at No. 10 Downing St.
The president joked about the U.K.’s long delayed Brexit and May’s own departure at the end of the week as Conservative Party leader.
“I don’t exactly know what your timing is but stick around, let’s do this deal,” he said at the start of a business round table with five British companies and five American companies at St James’s Palace.
It also emerged that Michael Gove, one of a raft of candidates hoping to succeed Theresa May as Conservative leader and prime minister, was expecting to meet the president before a formal dinner at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in the evening.
The president has cut a relaxed figure during the trip so far, clearly enjoying his time with the royal family.
But now protesters, who say the president is not doing enough to tackle climate change, hope to heap on pressure with some 200,000 people taking to the streets.
Shaista Aziz, from the Stop Trump Coalition, said the floating orange caricature of president was a powerful campaign tool.
“We know that this will definitely annoy Trump,” she said.
“It helps us shine a light on the very serious issues around this Trump presidency.”
Inside the meetings, discussion is likely to focus on trade and the thorny issue of Huawei, the Chinese communications company that the U.K. is considering for its 5G infrastructure, according to Jeanne Zaino, professor of political science at Iona College,
“The administration would like to secure agreement from Britain that Huawei is a national security threat. Second and key to Trump as he focuses on trade with China, Mexico and so on is with the UK struggling over Brexit can he get a deal on trade between the two allies,” she said. “Trump would like a victory there.”
