September 12, 2022

This makes it sound as though Biden is attending the Queen's funeral in order to keep Trump out of it.

I'm reading "Queen’s funeral: Joe Biden caught officials off guard with plan to attend" in the London Times.
President Biden caught the White House off guard when he told reporters he planned to travel to London for the Queen’s funeral. Past presidents have not attended the last two state funerals in Britain — for George VI in 1952, and Winston Churchill in 1965 — but Biden will be among the scores of heads of state and government to arrive in the capital before the service next Monday.... 
Westminster Abbey is expected to be so full that only one representative from each country can attend, although they can be joined by a partner. Questions have been asked in the US over whether Donald Trump will be invited but British sources have scotched the idea that he could accompany the US delegation and said there would not be space for Biden’s predecessors. 
Dwight Eisenhower, then the former president, attended Churchill’s funeral a private capacity.

Or am I suffering from the disease called Everything Is About Trump? 

39 comments:

RideSpaceMountain said...

As if the royals and the British people in general are friends in a private divorce that can't be shared between two parties.

It's for the British to decide who can or can't attend because of potential drama. I don't think most British people would really care if Biden and Trump showed up to the same funeral. The only person that would care is Charles, because he's dopey leftist.

gilbar said...

What about Kamela? Aren't State Funerals.. Her JOB?

Joe Smith said...

Trump should just show up and sit in a lawn chair outside of the church.

The entire country would die of asphyxiation as he would suck all of the oxygen out of the country.

: )

Paddy O said...

scotched?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Everything-is-about-Trump is not as bad as Biden’s DOJ says it is.

I just wear a mask 😷 when I go out.

Leland said...

I don’t know if everything is about Trump, but the story does mention him, so it isn’t you, Althouse. Interesting that Biden attending caught anyone off guard. Shouldn’t he be the first person asked, if not the question of his attendance then the question of who would attend to represent the US? Is the White House caught off guard that they needed Biden’s input? Quite the faux pas.

Amadeus 48 said...

Joe Biden--the Meghan Markle of heads of state. He'll just invite himself.

Theodore Roosevelt attended Edward VII's funeral as a special representative of the USA, appointed by President Taft.

Michael K said...

There is nothing so petty that this regime would avoid.

mezzrow said...

At least until the midterms, it seems to have been decided.

Trump could fly to Bolton or Chester and they would all fall apart.

That man! How could he! We live in profoundly stupid times.

Buckwheathikes said...

Has Donald Trump invited himself to the funeral? The way Biden has?

Rusty said...

I hope Biden does attend. The visuals will be hilarious.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Nobody wants that old dithering Potemkin crook at their party. Except Pedo+ pro-crime Hollywood.

Oh Yea said...

I don't think Trump is going to be missing anything. The Brits announced no private jets or helicopters for head of states are allowed at Heathrow for funeral though they can land at more remote airports. Also all heads of states must ride in bus provided by British government in funeral procession. There are to be no private cars such as the US presidential car known the Beast so the SS will be having fits about providing security. It will be interesting to see Joe climb on and off the bus.

Birches said...

The press made it about Trump.

The WH didn't expect Biden to attend because he's in such a fragile state these days. Who knows how many drugs they'll have to pump in him so he'll appear cogent. But this sort of thing is why Biden wanted to be President. Remember Obama at Mandela's funeral? Biden wants his selfies too.

MikeR said...

What if they both show up and wear the same suit?

Kate said...

She was on the throne for 70 freaking years. Of course no previous POTUS attended. They'd have had to go by ship or prop plane. It sounds like the Brits would rather no American attended, which is quite petty of them.

wendybar said...

Joe Smith said...
Trump should just show up and sit in a lawn chair outside of the church.

The entire country would die of asphyxiation as he would suck all of the oxygen out of the country.

: )

9/12/22, 10:28 AM

I laughed out loud. Can you just imagine??

West TX Intermediate Crude said...

Biden is attending the Queen's funeral to ensure that she will attend his.
---h/t Yogi even though he said he never said it, he coulda.

Ralph L said...

The Brits certainly don't want the extra security hassle. What an ass to accept the pro forma invitation. He could have sent the Obamas or Kamala or Dr. Jill.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

What Leland said 👆🏽

Amadeus 48 said...

Imagine Barack Obama at Elizabeth II's funeral!! He mare a hobby of denouncing the British Empire in Africa on behalf of his father's family. And Kamala would be worse (India, Jamaica, and Africa in her family tree).

Joe had to go. Or appoint Trump.

rcocean said...

Yes, it would be funny if Trump showed up in London, and stood by the side of the road and saluted as the Funeral procession went by.

TR (the ex POTUS) attended the funeral of King Edward-the-whatever in 1910. He was in the neighborhood, so he represented the USA. Usually, the VP go to foreign state funerals. Biden is obviously going because he's semi-retired and wants to get away from his beach house. Maybe he can get his picture taken with Princess Merkle.

Christopher B said...

Trump is just the shiny object to distract from the obvious implications of the report.

Brandon isn't involved in making his own travel plans.
Nobody who is involved in those travel plans even considered Brandon going.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Going to be fun when ol' Joe starts trying to shake hands with invisible men or thinks he's supposed to get up and give a few remarks, then goes off about being Irish.

MayBee said...

I bet instead of music, they will hook up the iPod of Obama's speeches and play them throughout Westminster Abbey.

Rocco said...

Shouldn’t the current Ambassador to Great Britain, Jane Hartley, be the one to attend on behalf of the US?

Big Mike said...

Or am I suffering from the disease called Everything Is About Trump?

At the risk of appearing to be anti-Althouse, I note that this blog post could have been written without referencing the five-letter T-name at all. Joe Biden wants to go to the funeral. Period. Is he afraid of Trump going and getting headlines? I rather doubt it. Afraid that Harris will say something stupid if she goes in his stead? Any discussion of his motives is purely speculative. For all anyone knows he just wants to ride that enormous Ferris wheel while he’s over there.

ga6 said...

"all heads of states must ride in bus provided by British government in funeral procession."

Love to Joe and Jill riding "the dog" at the back of the bus....

cubanbob said...

Biden can always send W. Democrats have moved on from him and unlike Biden he will mutter the proper pieties without making a fool of himself.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Donald could finagle an invitation as Prince Andrew’s plus one. They’ve shared a lot, may not quite at the level of Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower.

gspencer said...

This incredible show of displaying Gan-Gan's body for 10-12 days with a ceremony for this, a ceremony for that, is just so unbecoming. It's basically a bunch of nonsensical theater. Once the Queen's bees were informed that they now have a new liege, isn't that enough?

Amadeus 48 said...

"Donald could finagle an invitation as Prince Andrew’s plus one."

Sorry, LeftBoC. Bill Clinton has that slot nailed down. Andrew and Bill reminisce about good times on the Lolita Express.

gspencer said...

"I hope Biden does attend. The visuals will be hilarious."

Sure would, giving a smell test to the heads of Kate, Meghan and Camilla.

Josephbleau said...

“Imagine Barack Obama at Elizabeth II's funeral!!”

When Obama went to Mandela’s Funeral he was hitting on the Danish PM. Perhaps he could go and try to get it on with Markle.

Joe Smith said...

"Also all heads of states must ride in bus provided by British government in funeral procession. There are to be no private cars such as the US presidential car known the Beast so the SS will be having fits about providing security. It will be interesting to see Joe climb on and off the bus."

What? Really?

If true, this would be the worst security idea in history.

Narr said...

I'll go! I've never been to the UK--it's always been a flyover country on my travels to and from Europe.

Narayanan said...

why not just use bikes? a la tour de France peleton

Narayanan said...

if FJB falls into the coffin during viewing can they be buried together? in [im]mortal embrace

Paul Doty said...

Of course the Paste-Eater in Chief is going. It's another vacation.