(The Hill) — President Donald Trump will arrive in England on Tuesday evening local time for a state visit.
Much pomp and circumstance is expected Wednesday, when Trump will meet King Charles III and other members of the royal family at Windsor Castle, about 25 miles west of London.
A more political element of the trip will be seen Thursday, when Trump is scheduled to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Tariffs, the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza are expected to be among the topics at hand.
Trump to be welcomed by King Charles for a lavish, historic state visit
Here are five questions ahead of the trip:
Can PM Keir Starmer get Trump to take a harder line with Putin?
The momentum that the White House had been seeking to create for peace in Ukraine has largely evaporated.
The suggestion of a trilateral meeting among Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin has faded. Putin has upped the intensity of his attacks on Ukraine, including the capital of Kyiv, and last week violated the airspace of Poland — a NATO member — with drones.
The drones over Poland provoked yet another contrast in reaction between the U.S. and its European allies.
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Trump averred that the Russian action “could have been a mistake” when he spoke to reporters at the White House. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded, “It wasn’t. And we know it,” on social media.
Starmer, for his part, slammed “the egregious and unprecedented violation.” On Monday, Britain confirmed its fighter jets would defend Polish airspace, in conjunction with other NATO members.
But the furor over the drones is only a microcosm of a broader schism, where Starmer plainly wants more robust support for Ukraine in all respects than Trump appears inclined to give.
Whether the British prime minister can persuade Trump to at least sound as if he will hold Russia more robustly to account will be closely watched.
Will the Epstein scandal knock things off track?
The ghost of Jeffrey Epstein continues to stalk Trump.
The controversy has been given new fuel in the U.S. after images of a birthday album produced for Epstein’s 50th birthday were made public. The album includes a drawing of a female body with a message, apparently bearing Trump’s signature. The president continues to insist the signature is not his.
A related aspect of the Epstein scandal threatens to disrupt his British trip.
Last week, Peter Mandelson was forced out as British ambassador to the U.S. because of his own messages to Epstein in the birthday album and — even more damagingly — the publication of later emails in which he sought to bolster Epstein’s morale as the financier began a prison sentence in 2008.
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His departure has not ended the furor, however.
Mandelson has been a central — and polarizing — figure in British politics since the 1990s. He was pivotal, along with former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, in shifting the British Labour Party to a more centrist position. But he also had to resign twice from Blair-led governments amid scandals.
Now, the opposition parties in Britain want to keep the heat on Starmer for his questionable judgment in appointing Mandelson as ambassador in the first place.
The British Parliament will hold an emergency debate about the Mandelson matter Tuesday. Questions about the controversy are virtually certain at the Trump-Starmer press conference expected Thursday.
Trump won’t be happy about that.
Does Trump say anything about the recent right-wing protests in Britain?
Trump’s right-wing populism has found echoes in Britain for a long time.
Voters in the U.K. caused a political earthquake in June 2016 by electing to leave the European Union. Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to win the presidency less than five months later. The British politician most associated with Brexit, Nigel Farage, remains a Trump ally.
Trump’s hard-line and inflammatory rhetoric on immigration and multiculturalism is also being replicated on the eastern side of the Atlantic.
More than 100,000 people attended a London protest Saturday. The driving force behind the event was a far-right activist and provocateur known as Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. Amid clashes, at least 26 police were injured.
Elon Musk addressed the rally via video link and displayed his own long-standing penchant for incendiary remarks. Musk told the crowd that “violence is coming to you” and that “you either fight back or you die.”
On Monday, a Starmer spokesperson condemned “dangerous and inflammatory language which threatens violence and intimidation,” apparently in reference to Musk.
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What happens with trade and economic matters?
Trump and Starmer will both be seeking positive headlines from business deals that will be highlighted during the visit.
The process got underway Saturday, when the British government announced well more than $1 billion worth of investments from U.S. corporate giants, including Bank of America and PayPal. Those investments could create up to 1,800 jobs in Britain.
Trump and Starmer are also expected to sign a tech deal during the visit, perhaps with some high-profile CEOs in attendance.
And there’s a third element of agreement, too, aimed at expediting the use of nuclear energy.
But even though the British were pleased that they signed a broad trade deal with the U.S. in June, there are still points of contention, notably a 25% tariff rate on British steel. That could produce some tension amid the other deals.
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How will Trump and King Charles interact?
Trump is an unabashed fan of the British royal family and held a particular affection for Queen Elizabeth II, who died three years ago this month.
To that extent, he is sure to savor the ceremonial grandeur of Windsor Castle on Wednesday. The state banquet set for the evening is the centerpiece.
Interactions between Trump and the British king will be closely scrutinized.
British monarchs in the modern age typically avoid direct comment on the politics of the day. But Charles’s personal reserve and his history of interest in issues like environmentalism don’t mark him out as an easy fit with Trump.
Expect any moments of awkwardness to be thoroughly dissected in the media.
