‘Snowflake-In-Chief’ Trump Reportedly Needs ‘Safe Space’ In U.K., Won’t Visit Unless Theresa May Bans Protests
Donald Trump’s supporters have taken to calling liberals “snowflakes” in need of “safe spaces” free of anything that might offend them, but a recent report has opponents suggesting that Trump is actually the “Snowflake-in-Chief.”
A report from Bloomberg this week claimed that Trump has refused to make a visit to the U.K. unless Prime Minister Theresa May bans protesters. The request reportedly came during a phone call in 2017 in which Trump complained about harsh treatment he had received from the British press. Trump told May he would only visit England if she could guarantee that he received a warm welcome.
As the report noted, advisers were shocked to hear Trump make such a demand.
“May responded to say such treatment was simply the way the British press operate, and there wasn’t much she could do. In the secure bunker underneath the prime minister’s office, her advisers listened in to the call in astonishment at Trump’s demand.”
The demand for the U.K. to ban protesters seems to strike at the heart of a common criticism heaved at the left, that they are overly sensitive to criticism and in need of so-called “safe spaces” free from viewpoints that challenge them.
As GQ noted, Trump supporters adopted the insult “snowflakes” to refer to liberals, a term borrowed from Chuck Palahniuk’s novel (turned movie) Fight Club. In the novel, protagonist Tyler Durden told a group of young anarchists, “You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake.”
Somewhere during the 2016 election, the term turned into a catch-all insult for liberals, GQ noted.
“Calling someone a snowflake combines every single thing a college freshman loves: trolling people on the Internet, a self-satisfied sense of the superiority of one’s own impeccable powers of reasoning, and Fight Club. Nineteen-year-olds around the nation read Atlas Shrugged and then watch Brad Pitt wax poetic about how real masculinity means getting to punch Jared Leto in the face, and now feel enlightened.”
But with the report that Donald Trump asked Theresa May to ban protesters or he would not visit, many have taken joy in turning the criticism back around on Trump. Many criticized his thin skin, with the term “Snowflake-in-Chief” trending on social media.
Entitled East coast #snowflake demands a #safespace in UK.@potus @realDonaldTrump @whitehousehttps://t.co/LRhMo0i4ZU
— Caesar (@CaesarResists) January 26, 2018
The report that Donald Trump demanded a “safe space” in England is not the first time that Trump has tried to squash criticism. On the campaign trail, he frequently pledged to “loosen up” American libel laws, making it easier for people targeted by harsh press reports to sue. Trump often insinuated that the press was unfairly critical of him, often lobbing the “fake news” insult at reports he disagreed with.
So far, there has been no comment from the White House about reports that Donald Trump refused to visit the U.K. unless protesters were banned. After his first year, Trump has yet to make an official state visit to the U.K.
