But in Trump’s second term, his European counterparts, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in particular, have bent over backward to appease Trump — a bet that flattery can help them navigate Trump’s policy minefield.

“I think [Starmer is] cozying up just about as much as he can to try to get a good deal for the British people, on trade and other things. The ‘special relationship,’ he’s keeping it special,” Victor Obinna, a rideshare and private car service driver in London, told the Washington Examiner of Starmer’s handling of Trump, before adding that Trump’s “naughty” private life still raises eyebrows among Brits.

In particular, Obinna pointed to “this whole Epstein business,” noting that the United Kingdom recently fired its ambassador to the United States, Lord Peter Mandelson, after his and Trump’s names both surfaced in a book that Jeffrey Epstein’s associates put together for the late financier’s 50th birthday.

“I’m not quite sure if they’re that way inclined, if you know what I mean, but politicians like to bask in wealth and all that kind of stuff,” he continued. “They love it, but you never know what may come to bite you 20 years later.”

While Trump will meet with Starmer multiple times on this trip, stretching from Tuesday to Thursday, the prime minister will receive a royal assist in keeping the U.K. in Trump’s good graces.

William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, will greet the president and first lady Melania Trump upon their arrival in London and travel with the Trumps on Wednesday to Windsor Castle, the principal residence of the British monarchy for the past thousand years.

There, Trump will be honored with a royal salute, simultaneously fired in Windsor and at the Tower of London, a joint U.S.-U.K. F-35 flyover, a private state lunch with King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and a lavish state banquet in the evening.

As if that wasn’t enough, Trump is expected to take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II in Windsor and, on Wednesday, following meetings at Chequers with Starmer and his wife, Lady Victoria, take a personal trip through the Sir Winston Churchill archives.

Paul Hutchins, a barman working at a pub in West London, similarly voiced displeasure with Trump generally but did not fault government officials for working with the president.

“He’s a f***ing wanker, but he’s back, so you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, I guess,” he said with a shrug.

Hutchins did add that if Starmer, Charles, “or anyone at all, really,” can secure tariff exemptions for spirits, liquor, and other alcoholic beverages from Trump, then “all the boot licking would be worth it.”

Still, many others in the United Kingdom have fully embraced Trump’s ascent back into power and are styling themselves in a similar fashion.

On Saturday, British conservative activist Tommy Robinson organized a massive protest to both honor Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in Utah last week, and push back on Britain’s immigration policies.

“You should have been here Saturday,” Godwin, a liveried doorman who works at a hotel just south of Buckingham Palace, told the Washington Examiner. “These blokes just showed up out of thin air. Never seen anything like it, my son.”

Godwin declined to give his last name, saying that he feared for his job should his opinions “make it into the papers,” but praised Trump for inspiring his countrymen to find the “courage to speak out.”

“I’m absolutely buzzed. This has been years in the making,” he added, noting that Trump and his aides have taken up British conservatives’ concerns about apparent free speech violations in recent weeks and months. “We’ll make Britain great again.”

A British citizen with Ukrainian heritage, who similarly asked to be identified only as Andrei, spoke to the Washington Examiner on Sunday night at Hutchins’s pub. He had shown up to watch the NFL Week 2 matchup between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, as this season marks the first year that British television is nationally broadcasting most NFL games for free.

He claimed to be pleasantly “surprised” by Trump’s “turn” on the war in Ukraine, suggesting that Trump’s predecessor, former President Joe Biden, was “asleep at the wheel,” which allowed for Russian President Vladimir Putin to launch his invasion in 2022.

“I thought it would be more of the same, just based on what [Trump] was saying last year,” he stated, referencing Trump’s frequent calls to curb American security assistance to Ukraine. “But he’s surprised me. Standing up to Putin, forcing Europe to stop importing Russian oil. That shows some stones, and he’s got some work cut out for him yet, but I think it’s going to work.”

TRUMP TO SIGN NUCLEAR ENERGY DEAL WITH UK

Even Obinna told the Washington Examiner that he thinks “some of [Trump’s] policies are good.

“It’s just the way he implements it,” Obinna said. “Too drastic, and that’s what I think, generally, that’s what is the problem with the English people liking him. They think certain things need to be well thought through. Need to take time. People need to adjust, that kind of thing. But I think he’s the kind of person that says, ‘This is what’s going to happen during my term,’ and he gets it done.”