2019 state visit by Donald Trump to the United Kingdom

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State visit by Donald Trump to the United Kingdom
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump's Visit to the United Kingdom (48007831608).jpg
Date3 to 5 June 2019
Location London
Portsmouth
TypeState visit
ParticipantsPresident Donald Trump
First Lady Melania Trump
Queen Elizabeth II
Official portrait of Baroness May of Maidenhead (3x4 close cropped).jpg
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From 3 to 5 June 2019, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, made a state visit to the United Kingdom with his wife, the first Lady of the United States, Melania Trump. He was received by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace and stayed at Winfield House. The Queen had previously hosted the couple for tea at Windsor Castle in July 2018, [1] and Trump had expressed his admiration for her. [2]

This was Trump's first state visit to the United Kingdom, which occurred during his first presidency, with the second occurring in September 2025 when he will be received by King Charles III during his second presidency. [3]

Schedule

3 June

On the first day, President Donald Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, landed at Stansted Airport and taken to Winfield House. [4] They then arrived at Buckingham Palace by helicopter and were received by Charles, Prince of Wales (later King Charles III) and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (later Queen Camilla). [5] They were then taken to the West Terrace of the palace where they were greeted by Queen Elizabeth II. [5] 41-gun salutes were fired in Green Park and from the Tower of London to mark their arrival. [6] [7] This was followed by the inspection of the Guard of Honour by the Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards by Trump, a private lunch with members of the British royal family, and viewing items from the Royal Collection. [5] [7] [8] The couple was then accompanied by Prince Andrew, Duke of York to lay a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey and they were hosted by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall for an afternoon tea at Clarence House. [5] [8] The President and the First Lady attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in the evening, hosted by the Queen in their honour. [5] [8] In her speech the Queen spoke of demonstrating "the immense importance that both our countries attach to our relationship". [9] Trump in return described the Queen as a "constant symbol of these priceless traditions" of freedom and sovereignty. [10] [11]

4 June

In the morning, President Trump attended a business breakfast with Prime Minister Theresa May at St James's Palace in the presence of the Duke of York, while Melania Trump attended a 10 Downing Street garden party and visited the Churchill War Rooms with the prime minister's husband Philip May. [5] [8] President Trump then held bilateral talks with the Prime Minister at Downing Street. [8] During a joint press conference, Trump praised May's handling of Brexit. [12] Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage headed to Winfield House for a meeting with Trump and later described Trump as a believer in Brexit. [12] The couple then hosted the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall for dinner at Winfield House. [5] [8] The First Lady was reported to have overseen the preparation of the menu, guest list, seating charts and flowers. [12]

5 June

The President and the First Lady attended commemorations for the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Portsmouth alongside other heads of state and government and bid farewell to the Queen at the end of the service. [5]

Opposition and protests

A group of 100 protestors gathered outside Buckingham Palace ahead of the state banquet, [13] though Trump also referenced "tremendous crowds of well wishers" in his tweets. [14] Both the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable declined an invitation to the state banquet due to their opposition to Trump's political positions and policies. [8] John Bercow, the speaker of the House of Commons, stated that he would not allow President Trump to address the UK Parliament and similarly declined an invitation to the state banquet. [10] On 4 June, protestors flew a Donald Trump baby balloon in Parliament Square and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn addressed protestors at a rally of thousands at Trafalgar Square. [15] [16] [17] The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, had previously argued that the invitation for a state visit should have been rescinded. [6] Trump in turn described both Corbyn and Khan as "negative forces" and stated that he had refused a meeting with Corbyn. [12] The Guardian reported that contracts placed by the United States Department of State showed U.S. taxpayers spent more than $1.5 million alone on hotel accommodations for Trump and his family in addition to costs for chauffeured vehicles and back-up generators. [18]

References

  1. ↑ "Donald Trump meets Britain's Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle". Reuters. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2025– via CNBC.
  2. ↑ Klein, Betsy (2 June 2019). "Queen Elizabeth set to fete Trump, as she has so many other US presidents". CNN. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  3. ↑ Morton, Becky (27 August 2025). "Ed Davey to boycott Trump state banquet over Gaza". BBC News . Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  4. ↑ "Royals welcome Trump to Britain". NBC News. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "USA State Visit". The Royal Family. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  6. 1 2 Liptak, Kevin (3 June 2019). "Trump's UK visit gets off to a booming start with guns, guards and insults". CNN. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  7. 1 2 Davies, Caroline; Stewart, Heather; Murphy, Simon (3 June 2019). "41-gun salutes and a Twitter tirade: Donald Trump arrives in UK". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Donald Trump UK visit: All you need to know". BBC News. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  9. ↑ "The Queen's speech at the US State Banquet". The Royal Family. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  10. 1 2 "Royal Family Hosts Trump in U.K. State Visit". The New York Times. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  11. ↑ "Remarks by President Trump and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at State Banquet, London, United Kingdom". The White House. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Picheta, Rob; Wagner, Meg (5 June 2019). "Trump heaps praise on May's handling of Brexit". CNN. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  13. ↑ "Donald Trump's state visit to the UK in pictures". BBC News. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  14. ↑ Allen, Jonathan (3 June 2019). "Trump meets Queen Elizabeth II on state visit after calling London mayor a 'loser'". NBC News. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  15. ↑ "Second day of Trump's UK state visit in pictures". BBC News. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  16. ↑ Jackson, Marie (4 June 2019). "Trump UK visit: Protesters mix humour and expletives to make their point". BBC News. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  17. ↑ Quinn, Ben (4 June 2019). "Trump visit brings full spectrum of protesters to Trafalgar Square". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  18. ↑ Carrell, Severin (4 June 2019). "US taxpayers shelling out millions for luxury hotels for Trump state visit". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
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