Trump’s UK visit: What’s on the agenda, schedules, what to expect | Business and economy news

The UK is set to roll out the Donald Trump red carpet this week, honoring the US president with something other American leaders have never received: a second visit to the state.

Trump is scheduled to arrive in London late Tuesday. This coincides with a visit that coincides with tough trade negotiations between the US and many major trading partners, including the UK. During their stay, the two countries will announce several transactions on technology and private nuclear energy, and the UK leaders hope to finalise a metal tariff agreement.

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Trump and his wife, Melania, will be treated to the Royal Pageantry during their two-day stay, including a ceremonial welcome from King Charles of Windsor Castle. The British government is confident that the royal soft power appeals to Trump’s sense of glamour.

Before leaving Tuesday, Trump said he was looking forward to seeing him with his friend Charles III.

The president said it was the first time he was welcomed for his second state visit, and pointed out how it was planned at Windsor Castle rather than Buckingham Palace.

“I don’t want to say one is better than the others, but I say Windsor Castle is the ultimate,” the president added, saying much of his trip will focus on trade.

The state visit includes a glittering banquet and a procession of horse-drawn carriages. On his part, British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer hopes that Trump’s visit will provide a distracting measure from boiling speculation about his leadership amidst his recognition and famous resignation.

Following the recent looting of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador and new revelation about his friendship with child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, he has already thrown diplomatic poles on Trump’s visit. The president’s own link to Epstein has also generated many headlines in recent weeks.

When and where

Trump will be officially welcomed to the UK on Tuesday evening by US Ambassador Warren Stevens, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Viscount Hood, the lord of the Kings. The royals begin on Wednesday morning, with a formal greeting by the King and Queen Camilla, along with Prince William and Catherine, at Windsor Castle. Later that day, he will enjoy a royal salute at the castle and a fly-pusting from a procession of red arrows and carriages.

The president then has lunch with the large royal family before laying out the wreaths at the grave of Elizabeth II in St. George’s Chapel.

On Wednesday night, Trump will become an honorary guest at the castle’s formal state banquet.

The president says goodbye to the Royals before meeting the stars on Thursday morning.

Top Top Agenda

Priorities will host Trump at his country residence, Checker, on Thursday to discuss a variety of issues, including security in Ukraine. But the ultimate goal of prioritization is to ensure that Trump will make his promise better with his promise to lower tariffs on steel and aluminum.

The UK was the first country to sign a bilateral trade agreement with the Trump administration in May. Under that contract, the US had planned to reduce the tariffs on aluminum and steel to zero to 25%, but that hasn’t happened yet.

“When it comes to steel, we’ll make sure there’s an announcement as soon as possible,” Business Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC on Sunday. Other ministers have expressed optimism that they can secure transactions on basic metals during Trump’s visit.

The two countries are also expected to sign billion-dollar contracts to develop small-scale nuclear projects. On Monday, Starmer announced a joint US-UK project to build a fleet of small modular reactors.

“The UK-US relations are the strongest in the world,” a starry sky representative told reporters. “This week we are offering a step-by-step change to that relationship.”

Investment trading?

The main topics are new potential technology partnerships, including strengthening US investment in the UK and strengthening UK cooperation with Silicon Valley on AI and quantum computing.

That was a priority for Lord Mandelson, what he described in his posting letter to the staff at the embassy last week, as his “personal pride and joy” that he claimed would “help me in writing the next chapter of a special relationship.” Mandelson’s permanent replacement has not yet been named, but James Roscoe is the interim ambassador for the United States.

Nvidia, Openai and Google will announce investment transactions as part of their partnership, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, the UK government recently secured £1.25 billion ($1.7 billion) in private investment pledges from PayPal and Bank of America.

Elsewhere, private equity firm Blackstone plans to invest £100 billion ($136 billion) in UK assets over the next decade, focusing on physical infrastructure. The investment will be part of a previously announced $500 million European investment package.

Why is this trip important?

This is Trump’s second visit in the last two months after a trip to Scotland in July, but this week marks the second state visit that other US presidents have not enjoyed. In 2019, Trump was hosted for Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to the state.

The timing is not ideal. Mandelson was fired as the U.S. ambassador for the UK on September 11th after an email was released urging Epstein to fight for his early release from prison in 2008.

Trump’s friendship with Epstein has been subjected to scrutiny that harms him, including his support base. House Democrats recently released a birthday letter they allegedly wrote to Epstein in 2003.

On his part, priorities hope that the state visits cover his own domestic challenges, including criticism of banning Palestinian Action Groups as “terrorist organizations.”

Following the failure of welfare reform, the reshuffling of slapdash cabinets and poor economic growth, some lawmakers are increasingly questioning, particularly with the populist reform British party in Nigel Farage, which has surged in polls.

The main goal of priorities is to defend the victory secured during Trump’s visit.

But the president’s stay also faces challenges as local protests are expected against Trump’s stay at Windsor Castle.

The Prime Minister also tries to convince Trump that Russia had invaded Polish airspace with 20 drones into Polish airspace last Wednesday, as Trump suggests.

Polish Foreign Minister Radslau Sikorski rejected the theory on September 12th at a press conference in Kiev. “We don’t believe in 20 mistakes at the same time,” he said.

Finally, a Starmer’s spokesman said there will also be announcements on deepening cultural connections, such as promoting basketball in the UK and developing partnerships between heritage and arts institutions.