Trump-May news conference will be critical test for both leaders
British PMs were largely unknown to Americans but Theresa May attracts attention in a country now attuned to the political world.
Friday 27 January 2017 22:11, UK
Theresa May has walked into an American political environment perhaps unlike any other in history.
The country is inflamed over the presidency of Donald Trump - fervent supporters and outraged detractors - and hour-by-hour no one is really sure what will happen next.
Just days after his inauguration, Mrs May became the first foreign leader to fly into Washington and push her case for the most special of relationships.
She arrived with the US President apparently embarking on a trade war with Mexico and his raft of presidential directives leaving the American public and media with spinning heads.
Mrs May was given a warm welcome by senior Republicans dressed in their casual wear at an annual retreat in Pennsylvania and they
Much has been made in Republican circles of their conservative idol Ronald Reagan's relationship with Britain's last female prime minister - and mentions of Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill do good business in red states.
Mrs May, having eschewed the opportunity to meet any Democrats on the trip, did a decent job of charming their opponents with pragmatism, flattery and optimism.
But there are those in the US who are looking to the Prime Minister to deliver some reason and caution to their new President.
With a few exceptions, British prime ministers have been largely unknown figures to most Americans. But the presence of a leader who is a woman has attracted attention in a country currently highly attuned to the political world.
Mrs May's confirmation of Britain's continuing opposition to the use of torture was welcomed.
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![Margaret Thatcher and President Reagan share a laugh during a meeting of the Allied leaders in New York, 1985]()
Image: Margaret Thatcher and former US president Ronald Reagan share a laugh during a meeting of the Allied leaders in New York, 1985 -
![Ronald Reagan drives Margaret Thatcher toward their meeting in Camp David, 1986]()
Image: Ronald Reagan drives Margaret Thatcher toward a meeting in Camp David after her arrival by helicopter from Washington, 1986 -
![U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Britain's Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dance in the foyer of the White House in 1988]()
Image: Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher dance in the foyer of the White House, 1988 -
![Margaret Thatcher and U.S. Vice President George Bush pause for the press on the porch of the Vice President's residence, 1986]()
Image: Margaret Thatcher and then-US vice president George HW Bush pause for the press, 1986 -
![Bill and Hillary Clinton sing the US national anthem alongside John and Norma Major at the American Cemetery and Memorial in Cambridge, 1994]()
Image: Bill and Hillary Clinton sing the US national anthem alongside John and Norma Major at the American Cemetery and Memorial in Cambridge, 1994 -
![US President Bill Clinton, left, toasts with British Prime Minister John Major at No. 10 Downing Street in 1995]()
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Image: Bill Clinton and British prime minister Tony Blair in Paris, 1997 -
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Image: Bill Clinton hugs Tony Blair upon his arrival at the Denver Summit of the Eight. Blair obliged Clinton's request that all the leaders wear cowboy boots -
![George W. Bush puts his hand on the back of Tony Blair as they enter 10 Downing Street, 2003]()
Image: George W Bush and Tony Blair as they enter 10 Downing Street, 2003 -
![George W. Bush shakes hands with Tony Blair during the NATO Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, 2004]()
Image: George W Bush shakes hands with Tony Blair during the NATO Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, 2004 -
![U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair after speaking to reporters about Iraq in Washington May 25, 2006]()
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![Barack Obama and Gordon Brown walk through the Colonnade at the White House in Washington, 2009]()
Image: Barack Obama and Gordon Brown walk through the Colonnade at the White House in Washington, 2009 -
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Image: Gordon Brown during a joint news conference with Barack Obama at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, 2009 -
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![Barack Obama plays table tennis against students with David Cameron at the Globe Academy in London, 2011]()
Image: Barack Obama plays table tennis against students with David Cameron at the Globe Academy in London, 2011 -
![Barack Obama and David Cameron eat hot dogs at basketball game in Ohio, 2012]()
Image: Barack Obama and David Cameron eat hot dogs at a basketball game in Ohio, 2012 -
![Barack Obama welcomes David Cameron aboard Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, 2012.]()
Image: Barack Obama welcomes David Cameron aboard Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, 2012 -
![Theresa May looks over toward Barack Obama during the luncheon at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, 2016]()
Image: Theresa May looks over toward Barack Obama during the luncheon at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, 2016 -
![Barack Obama and Theresa May at Westlake Statehouse in Hangzhou, China, 2016]()
Image: Barack Obama and Theresa May at Westlake Statehouse in Hangzhou, China, 2016
In her speech, her support for international institutions like the United Nations and NATO will have played better outside the room than it did inside.
Americans are grappling with what their new President means for them and the world and the approach of a British leader provides something of a reference point.
How she handles an explosive force will be a useful measuring stick for everyone.
It all makes the prospect of Mrs May appearing at a news conference with Donald Trump - an unexpected announcement from the White House - a key moment for Americans as much as Britons.
Will she - as she said she would - stand up to some of the President's campaign excesses? How will she deal with a man prone to riff unpredictably on global affairs.
It is a critical test for both leaders - and many Americans currently have more faith in someone else's leader than they do in their own.
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