On 1 June 1785, John Adams became the first US ambassador to Britain, meeting King George III with trepidation. Less than a decade after co-authoring the Declaration of Independence denouncing the king as a tyrant, Adams bowed three times and expressed hope to recommend his country to the king's benevolence. This blend of innate supremacy and obsequiousness toward British traditions persists 250 years later, embodied by President Donald Trump.
Trump's dual stance on the UK
Trump did not bow to King Charles and Queen Camilla during their recent state visit to Washington, offering a brisk handshake instead. Yet he invoked the 'special relationship,' stating Americans have 'no closer friends than the British.' Simultaneously, he has ridiculed Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling him 'not Winston Churchill,' and declared 'the UK is dying.'
As America celebrates its 250th birthday, conflicting emotions toward the 'mother country' remain. Trump has emphasized two themes: the milestone as a celebration of his own greatness, and America's victory over Britain in 1783. His six 'freedom trucks' traversing the country tell the story of the war of independence, an elaborate exercise in rubbing Britain's nose in it.
Economic and military divergence
The gap between the US and UK has grown economically. Per capita GDP in the US rose from $48,000 in 2007 to $85,000 in 2024 (in today's dollars), while the UK stagnated from $51,000 to $53,000, compounded by Brexit, according to World Bank figures. Militarily, the US will spend $921bn on its armed forces this year compared to the UK's $94bn—almost 10 times as much.
'Anybody can see that the UK doesn't have the clout in the US that it used to, that's a fact of life,' said David Reynolds, historian at Christ College, Cambridge. 'There's been a growing sense of British subordination, of Britain on the slide into close to diplomatic marginality.'
American indifference to the UK
Simon Johnson, a Nobel laureate in economics at MIT who was born in Sheffield, England, and has lived in the US for 41 years, noted American indifference. 'I think the US is a bit oblivious,' he said. 'They don't pay a lot of attention to the UK.' He cited confusion among American friends about why Scotland has its own World Cup team and whether there is a British soccer squad.
Johnson attributes this to American exceptionalism and insularity. However, he sees parallels in public-private partnerships, such as in space exploration, which is 'massive public-private partnership, supported with massive Nasa subsidies, anchored by the state.'
British cultural influence in the US
On the cultural level, Britons continue to punch above their weight. Joanna Coles, who moved from Otley, West Yorkshire, to the US in 1997 and now oversees the Daily Beast, points to Hollywood. Christopher Nolan, whose The Odyssey will be a summer blockbuster, is 'the most influential and important director in Hollywood right now, bar none.'
Emerald Fennell, with Saltburn and Wuthering Heights, appears unstoppable, while actors like Florence Pugh, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Cynthia Erivo have erupted as huge stars. On television, HBO's Succession and Industry were created by British talents Jesse Armstrong and the duo Mickey Down and Konrad Kay. UK-born John Oliver's Last Week Tonight holds a special place in late-night viewing.
British media leaders in the US
British figures have been entrusted with major US media titles. Emma Tucker has revitalized the Wall Street Journal as editor-in-chief, John Micklethwait leads Bloomberg News, and Keith Poole holds a weighty role at the New York Post. The Daily Beast was founded by Tina Brown, who imported UK talent to America. Mark Thompson, former BBC director general, serves as CNN's chief executive.
However, not all British imports succeed. Will Lewis, former editor of the Daily Telegraph, had a disastrous stint as publisher of the Washington Post, leading to hundreds of layoffs and his abrupt departure. David Folkenflik, NPR media correspondent, noted that the prevalence of Britons in US culture reflects America's uncertainty. 'At a time of ideological uncertainty, when our standing is shaky and our groundings unclear, it's not surprising to me that our institutions look east,' he said.
