AYLESBURY, England — President Donald Trump ended his stay at Windsor Castle Thursday morning before heading to Chequers for the final leg of his three-day state visit to the United Kingdom.
Before his departure, King Charles III shook hands with Trump and exchanged pleasantries, prompting Trump to turn to the press and say, “He’s a great gentleman and a great king,” before he boarded Marine One.
And just a short helicopter flight later, Trump and the rest of the American delegation arrived at the prime minister’s country retreat. Trump traveled from the landing zone to the main house in his presidential SUV, waving to the gathered press, but a number of his aides chose to walk the several hundred yards up the driveway from the green, including White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political, and public affairs James Blair and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Both men attended Wednesday night’s state banquet and made their approval known when asked about the meal.
“It was great,” Blair said with a smile, while Bessent flashed a thumbs-up. “You can’t buy a ticket to that.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer greeted Trump upon his arrival at the main house, and the welcome party additionally included 11 Royal Air Force aviators and two bagpipers who played as Trump exited his vehicle.
Thursday’s bilateral, the so-called hard business following Wednesday’s lavish visit to Windsor Castle, will see Trump and Starmer continue negotiations on the finer points of a bilateral trade deal brokered between the United States and the U.K. over the summer, the first trade deal Trump’s White House secured after the president announced his “Liberation Day” tariff rates in April.
Still, Trump seems unlikely to secure the relief two of America’s biggest tech companies, Apple and Google, have sought in the face of a new regulatory crackdown from 10 Downing.
American and British government officials tell the Washington Examiner that the leaders will discuss two new trans-Atlantic partnerships that will see the U.S. and U.K. expand their collaboration on artificial intelligence and nuclear energy production.
LAVISH STATE BANQUET CAPS DAY OF MAGNIFICENT CEREMONY FOR TRUMP IN UK
Chequers, a 16th-century manor located roughly 40 miles west of London, has served as the British “Camp David” for more than 100 years. The property maintains an archive of Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s personal effects. Trump has repeatedly pointed to Churchill as one of his political heroes, and Starmer will grant Trump a private tour of Chequers’s Churchill archives during Thursday’s visit.
Government officials say Trump and Starmer plan to attend a reception with business and technology leaders to announce the aforementioned technology and nuclear partnerships, before ending the day by holding a joint press conference.