The News
Former US President Donald Trump’s campaign team accused Britain’s governing Labour Party of “blatant foreign interference” in next month’s presidential election after Labour volunteers campaigned in support of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, claims dismissed by Labour.
Trump’s team has filed a complaint with the US Federal Election Commission and called for an investigation into what it called “apparent illegal foreign national contributions” by Labour, citing media reports and a now-deleted LinkedIn post by the party’s head of operations.
SIGNALS
The Trump campaign may have a case, but he’s been helped by those abroad too
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Labour volunteers had a long history of visiting the US ahead of presidential elections and that everything was above board because it did not involve the party funding activists’ travel or accommodation, Politico reported. It might not be so clear-cut: One electoral law expert told the right-wing Daily Telegraph newspaper that both the Harris campaign and any activist who spent more than $1,000 — anything above which would count as an official campaign contribution — on the trip could face a “substantial” fine. There may be some hypocrisy at play, as the Trump campaign has been “helped frequently” by Reform UK’s Nigel Farage and Conservative Party activists, The Times of London noted.
Britain can’t afford to alienate Trump with the election looking so tight
Legal or otherwise, Labour’s latest effort isn’t the first time British progressives have tried to influence a US election: The left-leaning Guardian encouraged readers to message undecided voters in the swing state of Ohio in favor of the Democrats back in 2004, prompting a flurry of angry replies from Americans, with one George W. Bush supporter recalling the Revolutionary War of 1812. The problem now is the “undeniable awkwardness” emerging between the Labour government and Trump, which will become more problematic if he wins the election in November, the BBC noted. Labour has gone on the charm offensive in recent months to improve its relationship with Trump, and government officials have been given a “very tight script” to use when talking about the election, particularly as the race looks set to be extremely close, the i reported.
Europe — and the world — is divided over the prospect of a Trump victory
The world is divided on Harris v Trump, Gideon Rachman wrote in the Financial Times: Most of Europe is pro-Harris, but ultranationalists in Israel, Russia, India, and others would welcome a Trump presidency as evidence that the ideological winds are blowing in their favor, and against liberal democracy. European bankers are also concerned about Trump’s appetite for waging new trade wars, and the risk his victory could drive down the value of the euro toward parity with the dollar, Bloomberg reported. A lack of unity on the possible European response to any Trump tariffs among France, Germany, Italy, and the UK is making the situation even more uncertain, the outlet added.