Expectations from Donald Trump’s team are said to be sky high ahead of September’s historic second state visit, with intense behind the scenes negotiations ongoing
Donald Trump’s historic second state visit to Britain is causing a row because of the President’s sky high expectations. There are intense behind the scenes negotiations as Trump wants a full “bells and whistles” trip. But there are problems because he cannot visit Buckingham Palace and a coach parade has been ruled out on security grounds.
Trump is coming to London in September and he will be the first US President to have two state visits. There are talks ongoing about organisation details. The Sunday Times first reported that those familiar with the discussions said Downing Street and the Palace have struggled to agree the details with the White House, where expectations are said to be sky high.
The source said: “He can’t go to Buckingham Palace because it is being renovated… And he can’t have a state coach for security reasons.”
President Xi of China was given a special coach parade down the Mall back in 2015, but it was targeted by protests from human rights campaigners. Officials said Trump is a far bigger assassination threat and there is no coach which is sufficiently armoured to allow him to use it.
Another senior figure involved in the discussions said: “There is a challenge in trying to understand what they want and in tempering expectations of what can be delivered.” However, political sources said September’s visit would be a “full bells and whistles affair” in which “the red carpet is rolled out in a big way”. One senior figure said: “It will be full pomp and ceremony. The US relationship is important.”
Some Trump allies think it might be better if the state visit was confined to Balmoral, the royal estate in Scotland, which is remote. One said: “That would do away with the protests and solve the security concerns.”
Last month the King visited Canada, in which he was the first British monarch in almost 70 years to preside over the opening of the Canadian parliament.
It was widely seen as a supportive gesture after Trump suggested it should become the 51st state of America. While he was there Charles delivered a speech which was a coded rebuke to Trump’s hopes of making the United States bigger.
It is said to be an open secret in Whitehall and the royal household that the King is happy that President Macron of France is arriving on a state visit before Trump.