Trump has at a stroke undermined the authority of Britain’s current ambassador to Washington…. Effectively he has issued a public statement of no confidence in him. This would be relatively unusual if he were dealing with the ambassador from a hostile country, but it is an extraordinary thing to do to the ambassador of an ally.

He has given a huge boost in status to a leading figure in a UK opposition party — again, an unfriendly move to May.

He has confirmed that any hopes of him operating as a ‘normal’ president seem misguided. Perhaps it was a joke. But, if so, that probably makes it all worse.