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Rabat – US President Donald Trump touched down this evening in the United Kingdom to make his second State visit – a notable first for an American president.
Trump and First Lady Melania are scheduled to be pampered with royal pageantry throughout their two days in Great Britain. This includes a ceremonial welcome by King Charles III himself at Windsor Castle – which will see Trump arriving in a royal carriage escorted by riders on horseback and heralded by a military band.
The president’s relationship with King Charles dates back since 1988, when the then-Prince of Wales was welcomed at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida for tea at a time when Trump was a real estate tycoon and celebrity. The visit was reportedly less business-oriented and more for optics – true royal stamp of approval for Trump.
Since then, the British monarch has found ways to give the US president the “pomp and ceremony” that he seeks – royal soft power that is expected to be what this second visit is also meant to achieve.
Trump said he was looking forward to meeting with his “friend,” King Charles III, whom he described as an “elegant gentleman,” expressing his excitement for visiting Windsor.
What is on the agenda
After the royal welcome this evening, which will include US Ambassador Warren Stephens, and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Viscount Hood, Trump will meet Queen Camilla, Princess Catherine and Prince William Wednesday morning.
After a lunch with the extended royal family, the president is scheduled to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II with a wreath-laying ceremony at her tomb, before attending as a guest of honor at a banquet and meeting Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday.
Starmer and Trump are expected to cover a range of topics, including security terms concerning Russia’s war on Ukraine as well as artificial intelligence (AI) investment – with Nvidia, OpenAI and Google reportedly expected to announce deals with the UK.
Yet, political observers assert that talks on trade is the primary agenda item for Starmer – as the UK prime minister reportedly wants to ensure Trump follows through on his promises to eliminate tariffs on steel and aluminum. The president made this promise – which he has yet to deliver – in a May bilateral trade agreement. The deal dictates that the US will cut tariffs from 25% to zero.
Starmer’s administration is hopeful for a positive outcome with Trump’s meeting. “The UK-US relationship is the strongest in the world,” a representative from Starmer’s office told the press. “This week, we are delivering a step change in that relationship.”
A pompous distraction?
Although standard on paper, political pundits wonder if this second state visit may serve as a form of a distraction – for Trump to glaze over rising scrutiny concerning his controversial friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, as well as for Starmer as he faces criticism and a lack of domestic support.
On September 11, UK Ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson was fired after emails were leaked revealing that he had urged Epstein to fight for an early prison release in 2008, along with further details about his ties to the pedophile. With this backdrop, Trump’s long personal ties with Epstein, which are constantly making US headlines with the release of the redacted “birthday book,” does not look good in the eyes of the British public.
Furthermore, as the UK consistently is making it clear that they stand with Israel concerning the Gaza genocide, Starmer was slammed for banning the Palestiniaan Action protest group, which he described as a “terrorist organization.”
Add that to perceived mistakes in welfare reform, poor economic growth, and a haphazard cabinet reshuffle as his origin Labour Party experiences turmoil – and it is not looking great for Starmer. An August poll by YouGov found just 22% of British people have a positive opinion of Starmer, in contrast with the 69% who view him unfavorably.
One thing is certain – this visit is expected to make good TV. As one Whitehall source told the BBC: “It’s theatre. It’s all a show. It’s not like we are going to do deep substance. We are sucking up to the most powerful guy in the world for good reason.”
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