State visits are always talked about through the newsroom. And next week’s US President Donald Trump’s trip to the UK will offer royal, political and business headlines, despite his second visit.
On the first day of his three-day state visit to the UK, US President Donald Trump inspected the Honorary Guards at a welcoming ceremony at Buckingham Palace in central London on 3 June 2019.
Mandelungan | AFP | Getty Images
Wednesday brings royal dignity and ceremony.
Trump and first lady Melania are greeted by King Charles and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle, followed by a procession of carriages.
The president then places a wreath on Queen Elizabeth II’s tomb, followed by a flypus of an American F-35 military jet, along with a British red arrow. The day ends with a state banquet, during which the king and the president will give speeches.
On Thursday, it depends on business.
Trump heads to the checker. This is the country home of the British Prime Minister, where he met Kiel’s Stage for a series of bilateral meetings, followed by a joint press conference later that day.
Timing is troubling from a foreign policy perspective.
He has just fired the UK’s US ambassador Peter Mandelson, citing fresh details about his connection to preferred pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Downing Street had kept a lot of hope in Mandelson to reinvigorate the “special relationship” between the two countries.
Interestingly, just two weeks ago, the Telegraph reported that Trump had invited Mandelson’s predecessor, Karen Pierce, to this week’s state banquet.
British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer will shake hands with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang after a panel discussion at London Tech Week held in London, England on June 9, 2025.
Curl Coat | Getty Images News | Getty Images
But I’m back in business. Both Trump and Starmer may rely on the Tech Brothers to bring positive headlines.
CNBC’s Ryan Brown reported on Friday that Nvidia and Openai, part of the US business delegation travelling with Trump, are set to make a major UK investment commitment. The two high-tech companies are discussing a considerable number of transactions to support domestic data center development. This could ultimately be worth billions of dollars.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent will also be attending state banquets and meetings with priorities in Windsor Castle.
Bescent is fresh from the plane from Madrid, Spain, where he meets with the Chinese deputy prime minister and his Lifeng to meet with the fourth round of trade talks between the US and China. They are also expected to decide either a US ban on social media apps or partial sales under Chinese parent ordinances to address the future of Tiktok, which is facing another deadline of September 17th.
There are a lot of one week. And while the state visit is known for its meticulous visit, the newsroom keeps its eyes and ears open for unexpected moments.
Economic data:
Monday: EU trade data
Tuesday: UK unemployment data
Wednesday: EU and UK inflation data
Thursday: Bank of England policy decisions
Friday: UK Retail Sales