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Royals roll out red carpet for Trump
00:33 – Source: CNN
Royals roll out red carpet for Trump
00:33
The first day of US President Donald Trump’s state visit was full of buzzbees, horses, bayonets, marching bands, Red Arrows, carriage processions, patriotic songs, and panna cottas.
One thing that was absent, though, was the British public.
In the safe haven of the English countryside, Trump was steeped in ceremony. In London, thousands of Britons made plain their feelings about the US president.
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President Trump meets King Charles at Windsor Castle
00:52 – Source: CNN
President Trump meets King Charles at Windsor Castle
00:52
Foreign leaders on a state visit to the UK are typically hosted at Buckingham Palace in central London. Trump, however, was hosted at Windsor Castle, outside the capital.
The official explanation is that Buckingham Palace is being renovated. That may have been a happy coincidence for the British government, which has been keen to keep their special guest at an arm’s length from the British public.
From a distance, some Britons voiced their displeasure. On Tuesday evening, activists projected images of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, onto Windsor Castle. On Wednesday, Londoners took to the streets to protest the president’s visit.
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See Anti-Trump protesters gather in London
00:53 – Source: CNN
See Anti-Trump protesters gather in London
00:53
That strange split-screen — Trump kept entertained in the countryside, while protesters raged in the capital — speaks to the British government’s nervousness.
Having prepared for Trump’s visit for months, Prime Minister Keir Starmer — weakened by a string of recent political blunders — will be anxious not to allow the sight of angry crowds to derail his relationship with the US president, which has got off on a good footing.
Welcome to our live coverage of US President Donald Trump’s administration, including the second day of his second state visit to the UK.
Yesterday, the president and first lady Melania Trump were showered with all the pageantry the British state can marshal. The Trumps were greeted at Windsor Castle by the royal family, beginning a day full of ceremony, ending with a full state banquet.
Today promises to be lighter on pomp and heavier on politics.
Trump will travel to Chequers, the prime minister’s country house in Buckinghamshire, for talks with Keir Starmer. The pair are expected to discuss thorny issues, from Russia’s war in Ukraine to Trump’s trade policies, before the president flies back to the US in the evening.
We’ll keep you up to date with all of the movements today, as they happen.