The US President Donald Trump arrived in the UK late on Tuesday for an unprecedented second state visit filled with pomp and pageantry, aimed at showing that the two long-time allies have solid relations, despite differences – and tension – over the Middle East.
The carefully choreographed two-day visit will blend modern diplomacy with royal glitz.
“My relationship is very good with the UK, and King Charles is my friend,” Mr Trump said as he left the White House. “It's the first time this has ever happened, where somebody was honoured twice, so it's a great honour.”
He said the UK is hoping its trade deal with the US might become “a little bit better”. A deal unveiled in May expands access to agricultural markets but leaves the UK stuck with a 10 per cent tariff on exports to the US.
Mr Trump will visit Windsor Castle on Wednesday, where he will be greeted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Joined by his wife Melania, Mr Trump will be given a royal salute and ride in a horse-drawn carriage with military honour guards. The day will finish with a lavish state banquet.
The next day, he will hold talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers, a rural retreat an hour's drive away from London. The two leaders are set to sign a technology partnership, along with Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, who have been invited to join the US delegation. Major investments in nuclear power, life sciences and artificial intelligence research are also expected to be announced.
The meticulously planned visit – although a departure from Mr Trump's tendency to hold impromptu, rambling press briefings – might be welcomed. The President and the UK are eager to avoid embarrassing protests orchestrated by the Stop Trump Coalition, which are largely focused on criticism of US support for the war in Gaza.
The Israeli army has intensified its assault on Gaza city and experts commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council have said that it is committing genocide.
Mr Trump, who retook office in January with a promise to bring peace to the Middle East, has given Israel his full backing even as the Palestinian death toll has approached 65,000 people. He even appeared to give at least tacit support for Israel's bombing of Hamas negotiators in Qatar, a crucial US ally and a mediator in the Gaza ceasefire talks.
Protest organisers in London plan to hold a mass rally denouncing Mr Trump's policies, particularly those in Gaza, and hope to demonstrate as close to Windsor Castle as possible. Mr Starmer said the UK will recognise a Palestinian state at next week's UN General Assembly unless Israel takes “substantive steps” to end hostilities in Gaza and supports a lasting peace process.
During his last state visit in 2019, protesters used a large inflatable balloon of a Trump-like orange baby figure in nappies, drawing his ire.
The visit to Britain also comes amid renewed focus on Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in 2019. The UK sacked its ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, last week after newly released emails showed he had close ties to Epstein.
