Carriage procession, Meetings at the Château de Windsor, Revue de la Garde d’Honneur: Donald Trump must be received with great fanfare in the United Kingdom during his two-day visit. The British Prime Minister hopes to coax the unpredictable American president. And seal favorable agreements.
Why is the meeting described as “historical”?
Trump became the first American president to be welcomed for a second state visit to the United Kingdom-the type of operation with great deployment, for which the King sends the invitation to a member of royalty or a foreign elected official, following the opinion of the government in place. “Traditionally, there is such a visit that once per guest, but there can be a second visit of the same person if there is a change of monarch,” said David Dunn, of the University of Birmingham. The American president was received by Queen Élisabeth II in 2019. He arrived in the United Kingdom on Tuesday evening with his wife. Wednesday and Thursday, they will be received by Charles III and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “Donald Trump loves this kind of theatricality, he loves the theater of power,” added the professor of political science and international studies. Usually, no more than two state visits are organized for a year. By choosing Trump, and inviting him at the start of the mandate, the British hope to capture his attention, especially on customs duties.
Photo Dominic Lipinski, Agence France-Presse Archives
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, was received by Queen Élisabeth II at the Buckingham Palace in 2019, during his first mandate.
Why is Trump accompanied by businessmen in the technological field?
The two countries must announce during the visit the finalization of technological and energy investment agreements, worth several billion dollars. Sam Altman, CEO of Openai, and Jensen Huang, boss of Nvidia, were expected with the American delegation. “It is part of the creation of trust partnerships, to ensure that everything is well aligned, and not to come up against certain challenges, as with laws of the European Union, which, in a way, repress large technological companies,” says professor Melanie Garson, the University College London and specialist in geopolitics of the technological field. “There is this growing influence of technological companies, because of what they can do that states cannot,” she explains. And because they are the guards of the infrastructure that everyone uses. The United Kingdom wants to position itself favorably in relation to artificial intelligence. Technological companies expect to have frank cubits.
How are the relations of the American president and the British Prime Minister?
Starmer belongs to a left party, while Trump positions himself on the right. But the moderate style of the Prime Minister seems to agree well with the impetuous nature of the president. “Trump is not very popular in the United Kingdom, but for several reasons, Starmer wants to court it, keeping it on its side,” says Simon Griffiths, Goldsmiths, University of London. There are some who see the strategic interest-for commercial interests, investments, all that-, but there are also tensions whenever Trump visits the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister must engage in a “balancingist number”, he says, to calm skepticism towards Trump on the left and to counter a right movement inspired by the style of the president. A subject also particularly embarrasses the Prime Minister for a few days: Peter Mandelson, Ambassador to Washington – appointed by the Starmer administration – had to be dismissed after revelations on his links with the sexual criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
How does the British public react to the visit?
A walk is planned in London on Wednesday. Unusual fact for a state visit, Trump is not received in Buckingham, in the heart of London, due to redevelopments at the palace. Rather, he will be at the Château de Windsor, about forty kilometers from the capital, and in Chequers, in the Prime Minister’s resistance residence. The carriage ride is also planned directly in the Windsor park. “Both for security reasons and demonstrations, I would say that it is not possible to make this walk in public,” notes Mr. Dunn. Thousands of people planned to demonstrate in London against the visit of the US head of state, AFP said. The authorities have strengthened security, by deploying elite shooters, drones, mounted police and teams on boats, according to the New York Times. The visit also occurs a week after the murder of pro-Trump influencer Charlie Kirk in Utah. Ideological tensions are also present in the United Kingdom. On Saturday, in London, some 110,000 people responded to the call of an far -right activist to demonstrate for “freedom of expression”. The photo of the murdered American activist was brandished by demonstrators. Tuesday evening, militants screened images of Donald Trump and the sexual criminal Jeffrey Epstein on a tower of the castle of Windsor, where the American president must go this Wednesday. Four people were arrested in connection with this case.
Photo Phil Noble, Reuters
Images of Jeffrey Epstein with Donald Trump were projected for a few minutes on a Windsor castle tower on Tuesday.
What other subjects could be discussed?
The American contribution to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia are important subjects for Europeans. The Americans, for their part, could try to convince the British to back up on the recognition of Palestine. The 250e Anniversary of American independence could also be discussed. “We expect the common heritage, the common language, the common history, the common roots of democracy will be underlined, at a time when there are a lot of concerns with the actions of Trump,” says Dunn.
With Associated Press, the New York Times and the France-Presse agency
