- Published
As I crouched between the cameras, determined to catch Donald Trump's eye and ask a question, I listened to a president seeking to be magnanimous.
asserted
I → publish → president
Remember, Trump can and does do warmth when he wants to, as well as acerbic.
asserted
he → remember → warmth
Prime Minister Andy Burnham, a mayor a matter of months ago, sat next to the most powerful man in the world.
asserted
Burnham → sit → world
Put like that, it sounds believable when he said in advance he was looking forward to the meeting, but there must have been a jab of nerves too.
asserted
he → Put → nerves
Burnham did look a little nervous as us reporters trooped into the room, but then, for the most part, the compliments flowed from the president.
asserted
compliments → look → president
The original plan was for journalists to be invited in at the beginning of the meeting, perhaps just minutes after the men had first met.
asserted
men → invite → meeting
Instead, we were kept waiting while the private talks took place, which came with the upside that they had more to say about each other and what they had discussed than would otherwise have been the case.
asserted
they → keep → what
Burnham knew, the world knows, how explosive these rolling, free wheeling, live on camera encounters with Trump can go.
asserted
encounters → know → Trump
Having got myself into the president's eyeline, I waited for the last syllable of Burnham's final word at the end of his opening remarks and I filled the brief silence with a question.
asserted
I → get → question
Was the prime minister a man you can do business with, I asked the president, given your political differences?
asserted
I → do → differences
"I do, I think he's a natural business person.
asserted
he → think → ?
We've had a lot of discussions even before this meeting.
asserted
We → have → meeting
We've spoken to each other numerous times on the phone.
asserted
We → speak → phone
Yeah, I think so, I think so.
asserted
I → think → ?
He gets it.
asserted
He → get → it
He understands what he has to do.
asserted
he → understand → what
Perhaps the Downing Street nerves will have eased a bit.
asserted
nerves → ease → ?
But how long would the questions keep going?
asserted
questions → keep → ?
This is the president's theatre and he decides how long the public performance lasts.
asserted
performance → decide → ?
Perhaps that dialled down the sense of occasion a notch.
asserted
that → dial → occasion
Nonetheless, for how long could the president maintain the bonhomie and sense of agreement?
uncertain
president → maintain → agreement
A question about immigration, potentially a point of friction, came and went without incident.
asserted
question → come → incident
So to did the Burnham government's decision, announced by the Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who was in the room, to sanction settlements in the West Bank, a decision which infuriated Israel.
asserted
which → do → Israel
But on the future of the Chagos islands, the president couldn't hide his view that Britain's decision to cede sovereignty of them to Mauritius and then rent back the military base on Diego Garcia was "terrible."
asserted
decision → hide → Garcia
The president added: "I think the prime minister is going to be looking at [the deal]" and Burnham replied "yep".
asserted
Burnham → add → deal
Later, it was my turn to do a short interview with the prime minister on behalf of all of the broadcasters.
asserted
it → do → broadcasters
Burnham emphasised that the meeting was "very encouraging" and "we've established a good connection.
asserted
we → emphasise → connection
Would it change, I asked.
asserted
I → change → ?
Pointedly, he described it as a deal he had "inherited".
asserted
he → describe → deal
"We've got to find a resolution, and so work will continue now…to see where that resolution might lead.
uncertain
resolution → get → resolution
In other words, it looks like it is going to change.
asserted
it → look → words
Flashpoints down the track with Trump are near inevitable — barely any leader avoids them with this administration, and Burnham may want to lean into some, in time.
uncertain
Burnham → avoid → time
And even those he doesn't might lean into him, Chagos possibly one of them.
uncertain
Chagos → do → them
But outwardly Burnham has a relationship with the president he can now build on after this opening face to face conversation.
asserted
he → have → conversation
What followed in the prime minister's remaining meetings at the UN were diplomacy by convention, not the wild ride with Trump he had just stepped off and survived.
asserted
he → follow → Trump
The Aporia
