United States President Donald Trump has touched down for his second state visit to the United Kingdom, where he will be hosted by King Charles III at Windsor Castle.
During his visit, he is also set to meet with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to seal investment deals and a renewal of a “special relationship” between the two nations.
Starmer is hoping to turn his focus onto geopolitics and investment after enduring recent events that undermined his authority, including being forced to fire his deputy and U.S. ambassador due to links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Prime Minister is hoping to pitch Britain as a destination for U.S. investment to closely align its financial, tech and energy sectors to drive much-needed economic growth.
This comes as U.S. finance firms have already invested US$1.7 billion in the U.K..
As well as this, Microsoft has invested US$30 billion, and other tech giants like Nvidia, Google, OpenAI, and Salesforce have announced investments that total over US$40 million.
A spokesperson for Stamer said the state deal was a “historic opportunity” that came at a “crucial time for global stability and security.
"The prime minister will discuss the challenges that both our countries face, and the opportunities, as we enter a new era of our deep and unparalleled relationship," the spokesperson told reporters.
According to Al Jazeera, thousands are expected to protest Trump during his visit, even though he has no public-facing engagements.
During his visit, Trump and his first lady, Melania Trump, will also be treated to British royal pageantry, including a carriage tour, a state banquet, a flypast by military aircraft and a gun salute.
“My relationship is very good with the UK, and Charles, as you know, who’s now King, is my friend,” Trump said.
“It’s the first time this has ever happened where somebody was honoured twice. So, it’s a great honour.”
The UK was the first country to sign a bilateral trade agreement in May, where Washington pledged to reduce tariffs from 25% to zero; however, these changes have yet to take place.
Trump has hinted at potential tariff relief for UK steel.
“I’m there also on trade. They want to see if they can refine the trade deal a little bit. We’ve made a deal, and it’s a great deal, and I’m into helping them,” Trump said.
