👑 Royals, Rage & Reality Checks: Trump Lands in the UK
A Windsor charm offensive could also result in swaying Trump on Ukraine, but protests roar in London while Silicon Valley CEOs trail the president with billions in investment promises.
The King welcomed Donald Trump to Windsor with a carriage procession and guard of honour. The monarch and US president shared a coach, while Queen Camilla and First Lady Melania Trump follow behind in another - the Prince and Princess of Wales also took part. A state lunch followed, with a flypast and banquet due later. This ceremonial arrival had more troops, flags and military bands than previous ones - it was a performance of royal soft power to please a president. Earlier, Trump travelled to Windsor on Marine One and was greeted off the helicopter by Prince William and Catherine. Meanwhile, four people were arrested after images of Trump and late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were projected onto Windsor Castle - BBC
The hope is that the royal charm offensive will lay the groundwork for Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his senior aides to make fresh efforts to persuade Trump he should apply more pressure to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the quest for peace in Ukraine. While it may not appear on any program for the visit, political and royal aides expect it will be raised behind the scenes. A senior defense official, granted anonymity like others in this piece to speak candidly, said the king is “very close” to the detail of ceasefire negotiations and to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself. That gives the prime minister a weapon many other European leaders don’t have: a sympathetic monarch who has quietly yet consistently demonstrated his support for Kyiv — and is willing to do his part to push back on U.S. skepticism toward the cause. A former senior U.K. diplomat said that while the king does not speak publicly about matters of government, he is “adept at finding other ways of showing his views.” And he will have plenty of time to do so. “It wouldn’t be surprising if he took the opportunity privately to encourage the president to support Ukraine more effectively,” the same former diplomat said. A royal aide acknowledged the king’s interest in Ukraine, noting that he called for a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine in a message of solidarity to mark the country’s independence day last month. The king may nod to Ukraine during his speech at the state banquet, as he did during French leader Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit, but otherwise his diplomacy is likely to take place behind closed doors, bolstered by symbolism throughout the trip designed to highlight the two countries’ history as wartime allies. Trump will be joined on the trip by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff, meaning there will also be the chance to influence his top diplomats - Politico
“Every time the European Union tries to push against Trump, they’ve gone to incredible efforts to butter him up," Michael Bociurkiw, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, told NBC News. He mentioned that Mark Rutte, secretary-general of the NATO military alliance, called Trump "Daddy” at a summit in June and how European leaders praised Trump during a visit to the White House in August to discuss the war, likening them to a “cheerleading squad meeting with the football coach.”
The UK prime minister’s approval rating is among the lowest at home and abroad
A pan-European survey conducted at the end of August by the polling company YouGov found just 22% of British people have a favourable opinion of Starmer, in contrast with the 69% who view him unfavourably – a net rating of -47%.
In central London, a fair way from the pomp and pageantry in Windsor, a large anti-Donald Trump protest gathered close to BBC HQ for the beginning of a demonstration. The protest has been organised by the Stop Trump UK coalition, a group of more than 50 campaign organisations, including climate, anti-racism and pro-Palestinian activists. Zoe Gardner, a political commentator and one of the organisers of today’s protest, said that Trump “represents everything that we hate…..We want our government to show some backbone, and have a little bit of pride and represent that huge feeling of disgust at Donald Trump’s politics in the UK,” she says - BBC
US President Donald Trump will be joined by Silicon Valley top brass on his state visit to the UK beginning today, highlighting a wave of tech investments in Washington’s leading European ally. Google’s president is accompanying Trump, and announced $6.8 billion in infrastructure and research spending, particularly on AI: Google DeepMind is based in London. OpenAI’s and Nvidia’s CEOs are also with Trump to back a major data center project; a separate nuclear power deal is expected. The announcements offer rare good news for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose Labour Party lags in the polls and who has lost his deputy prime minister, his US ambassador, and a senior advisor over separate scandals in just a week - Semafor
Donald and Melania Trump will sleep in separate suites at Windsor Castle, according to sources cited by The Daily Mail. Palace sources say the pair have opted for some privacy and will enjoy their own rooms, as well as sheets shipped in from the U.S.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. forces have destroyed a third drug-smuggling vessel from Venezuela, escalating a campaign that has already heightened tensions with Caracas and drawn scrutiny over its legality."We knocked off, actually three boats, not two, but we saw two," Trump told reporters as he departed Washington for a trip to London. He offered no additional details about the alleged third strike, which has not been confirmed by the Pentagon. Trump also reiterated his warning to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. "Stop sending drugs into the United States," he said. He also accused the Venezuelan government of sending members of the Tren de Aragua gang northward - Latin Times
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed throughout the Gaza Strip since dawn as Israel continues its full-fledged ground invasion of its biggest city despite growing international condemnation. The dead include a child and his mother killed in an air attack on a residential apartment in the Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City. Residents say bombardment of Gaza City has ramped up dramatically with incessant explosions destroying dozens of homes, and naval boats joining tanks and jets in the major assault. Separately, Israeli settlers have stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under the protection of Israeli police, the Wafa news agency reports. According to the Jerusalem governorate, dozens of settlers pushed their way into the compound in groups, conducting tours and performing Talmudic rituals, which are prohibited at the site - Al Jazeera
Two men indicted by the United States for trying to smuggle sensitive military technology to China and organizing the harassment of a Chinese-American artist escaped house arrest in Serbia while awaiting extradition, and their whereabouts are unknown. It is unclear when John Miller, a British citizen, and Cui Guanghai, a Chinese national, fled house arrest. The High Court in Belgrade announced on September 9 that an arrest warrant had been issued for the pair back on August 15, and then said on September 12 that the men are wanted under an international Interpol warrant and that a search for them is still under way. The escape and ensuing search in Serbia is the latest development in a case that has stretched from San Francisco to Beijing and involves charges of arms smuggling and intimidating Hui Bo, a dissent artist who organized a protest criticizing Chinese leader Xi Jinping while he was in the United States in 2023 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. "I was shocked and outraged when I learned that Cui Guanghai and John Miller disappeared from house arrest in Belgrade," Hui, who currently resides in Los Angeles, told RFE/RL, adding that their escape "highlights serious risks" to his personal safety. Miller and Cui were arrested in Belgrade in April at the request of the FBI while there on a business trip and then released under house arrest in May. US court documents released through the indictment say Miller was caught in a sting by FBI agents where an operative posed as an arms dealer who the men allegedly solicited for the procurement of US defense equipment, including surface-to-air missiles, air defense radar, drones, and cryptographic devices for unlawful export to China - RFE/RL
Hundreds of tourists have been left stranded near Peru's ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu after rail services were suspended because protesters blocked the route with rocks. Tourism minister Desilu Leon told local radio that 1,400 tourists had been evacuated but around 900 remained stranded in Aguas Calientes, the closest town to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Train operator PeruRail said services were suspended on Monday because train tracks in Peru's mountainous Cusco region had been blocked by "rocks of various sizes". It also said "third parties" had dug up part of the rail route, which had slowed evacuation operations. The protest by residents began last week after tourist bus operator Consettur's concession expired. The company ferries tourists from Aguas Calientes to the entrance of the tourist attraction. A neighbouring district commissioned another bus company to provide services in its place, but protesters in Aguas Calientes prevented it from operating. Protesters claim there is a lack of transparency and fairness in the process of replacing Consettur. New7Wonders, a campaign group which highlights global sites of major cultural heritage, has sent a letter to Peru's government warning that if the row - between residents, authorities and bus companies - escalates, Machu Picchu's global status could be affected. Tourism is key to Peru's economy - Sky News
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