Donald Trump hasn’t even been sworn in yet, and already there’s a lot of gossip about where he might go for his first official visit as President.
Let’s have a run through the candidates for Trump’s first state visit.
First State Visits in the Past
Ever since Reagan in 1981 the first place a newly-inaugurated president would go was Canada who are at 5/2 with PaddyPower.
That tradition was first broken by George W. Bush, who chose Mexico instead.
Obama renewed the custom in 2009, but there are a few reasons to wonder whether it will be Trump’s first foreign trip. Biggest of all are that he doesn’t seem to hold protocol in high regard, and that Prime Minister Trudeau was known to be scathing of Trump’s Campaign.
A New First State Visit Destination?
Given Donald Trump’s innuendo and campaign mantra about a wall, Mexico might not be the most diplomatic destination at this stage.
And besides, Trump went south of the border as recently as September when he met with President Enrique Peña Nieto. Mexico are tied with Canada at the moment, with odds of 5/2.
This could put us in uncharted territory, which is nothing new for Donald Trump.
The Most Likely First State Visit for Donald Trump
Leading the pack at the moment is England at 7/4. In some ways this seems possible because of Trump’s close rapport with Nigel Farage, who he has already recommended as a future ambassador.
On the other hand, while Farage has a high profile, he remains no more than an MEP.
Trump’s relationship with the rest of the English political hierarchy remains ambivalent. Former PM David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Mayor Siddiq Khan were quick to criticise Trump’s comments about Muslim travel bans in 2015.
Current PM Theresa May stayed quiet and has struck a conciliatory tone since the election result. It’s a situation repeated across the world, with only a handful of incumbent leaders openly supporting him before the election.
First State Visits You Can’t Rule Out
This means we could well have an unexpected destination for Donald Trump’s first state trip: Russia.
Along with Kim Jong-Un and Robert Mugabe, Vladimir Putin was quick to get behind Trump early on, and this could bring about a sensational diplomatic event.
It’s no stretch to say that no president in living memory will have had ties as close to Russia as Trump’s. This was underlined when Trump nominated Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State.
The ExxonMobil CEO was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship in 2013. So Russia has shot up the reckoning for Trump’s first foreign trip at 11/4.
China at 18/1 has suddenly tailed off after Trump’s phone call to Taiwan, although the President may take the chance to calm any tensions
Fancy a Flutter on Trump’s First State Visit?
We know that he prefers the road less travelled, so Trump’s first official trip as president is anyone’s guess at this point. The market will be open until the 31st of January at 12:00pm.