LONDON – President Donald Trump will meet with Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday as his state visit to Britain shifts gears from pomp and pageantry to talks over a range of policy issues from climate to Iran that the close allies disagree over.
A trade deal for when Britain leaves the European Union will also be discussed.
Trump is spending three days in the Britain with first lady Melania Trump and his adult children. The trip is aimed at celebrating the “special relationship” between Britain and the United States before Trump travels to Ireland and France for bilateral meetings and a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy.
Trump’s U.K. visit: What you need to know, from royal ceremony to protests
On Monday, the Trump’s visited Buckingham Palace, where they met the queen and her son and heir Prince Charles and were feted at a lavish banquet where Britain’s 93-year-old monarch toasted an alliance that ensured “the safety and prosperity of both our peoples for decades.” Trump spoke of the two nations’ “eternal friendship.”
But Tuesday’s schedule turns more to politics and will highlight fresh uncertainty in the allies’ storied relationship, not least because of May’s impending departure as Britain’s leader. From Friday, May will be in a caretaker role as her ruling Conservative Party begins a weeks-long process to succeed her as prime minister.
May stepped down after failing to arrange Britain’s exit from the EU, now delayed until Oct. 31 unless both sides agree to an extension. Trump has stated that his British political ally Nigel Farage, an outspoken advocate of leaving the EU without a deal, should be given a role in the negotiations. He has also taken the unusual diplomatic step of advocating for his “friend” Boris Johnson to be Britain’s new leader.
“Big Trade Deal is possible once U.K. gets rid of the shackles. Already starting to talk,” Trump tweeted Monday, referring to the country’s potential opportunity to sign a bilateral trade accord with the U.S. once it leaves the EU, known as Brexit.
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Trump and May will meet with American and British corporate executives including CEOs and senior representatives from BAE Systems, GlaxoSmithKline, National Grid, Barclays, Reckitt Benckiser, JP Morgan, Lockheed Martin and Goldman Sachs International. In the afternoon, they will take part in a news conference.
There, a number of issues on which they diverge could come up, including the national security threat posed Chinese telecom giant Huawei and whether allies should use its 5G technology; and British skepticism over Trump’s withdrawal from multilateral agreements aimed at curbing climate change and Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Tens of thousands of protesters are expected in central London to take part in a “Carnival of Resistance” in opposition against Trump. Environmental activists, anti-racism campaigners and women’s rights protesters will take to the streets around Parliament Square to declare a “Trump-free zone.” Also participating: The phone-wielding, diaper-wearing inflatable known as Trump baby blimp.
Queen Elizabeth’s glittery state banquet: Toasts and national anthems
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