The visit to the UK will see the US president meet HRH Elizabeth II, as well as other state officials. However, the mere idea of Trump coming to the UK has provoked protests, with mass demonstrations taking place all over the country, whilst a petition, asking the government to him from the UK, following his controversial executive order which restricts access to the United States for people from seven majority-Muslim nations, has been signed by over one million Brits.
As a result of the online petition gaining so much support, Trump's state visit is expected to be debated in Parliament after senior Conservatives joined hundreds of thousands calling for the trip to be canceled.
Westminster HoC debate 20th Feb of #StopTrumpVisit petition. Keep signing! https://t.co/dYYLK7dyXu @MellowOchre @myhlee @RubyBails @NHSour
— V. Wagner (@drvwagner) February 1, 2017
However, a source close to UK Prime Minister Theresa May has told the BBC that canceling the trip would be a "populist gesture" and it would "undo everything" achieved by the PM during her trip to the US last week.
Almost half of Brits think the Trump state visit should go ahead https://t.co/1OuoziHnOF
— YouGov (@YouGov) February 1, 2017
A YouGov survey found that 81 percent of UK Independence Party (UKIP) voters support Trump's visit to the UK, whilst 76 percent of Conservative voters also believe it to be a good idea.
For Labour, the number is somewhat lower, with 51 percent of voters welcoming the visit.
When it comes to men and women, men favor the president coming to the UK more than women do — 60 percent prefer the visit, whereas women are evenly split on the matter, with 39 percent for and 43 percent against.
The data also shows that most Brits do not support the executive order, with 50 percent of believing it was a bad idea and a further 29 percent think it is a good one.
The recent poll results show that Trump's impending visit could actually see Brits being more welcoming than first thought — or judging by the mass protests seen in mainstream media. The online petition to ban Trump may have gained momentum and achieved a high number of votes, but the reality is that there are also a huge number of people who really don't think the President of the United States should be blocked from visiting a country he views as an ally.
