Donald Trump hailed the “great honour” of being hosted by his “friend” the King at “the ultimate” Windsor Castle for his second state visit, and hinted at possible tariff relief for UK steel.
The US president said he is “into helping” Britain on fine-tuning the UK-US trade deal, as the Government seeks to eliminate tariffs on British steel imports to the US.
He was speaking before taking off on Air Force One, and is expected to land in the UK on Tuesday evening.
It is speculated Mr Trump will stay overnight at the US ambassador’s residence in London before travelling to Windsor Castle on Wednesday, where he will be treated to a ceremonial welcome and a lavish state banquet.
Asked what he hoped to achieve during the visit, Mr Trump told reporters: “My relationship is very good with the UK, and Charles, as you know, who’s now King, is my friend.
“It’s the first time this has ever happened where somebody was honoured twice. So, it’s a great honour.
“And this one’s at Windsor. They’ve never used Windsor Castle for this before. They use Buckingham Palace.
“And I don’t want to say one’s better than the other, but they say Windsor Castle is the ultimate, right? So it’s going to be nice.”
He continued: “Primarily it’s to be with Prince Charles and Camilla. They’re friends of mine for a long time, long before he was King, and it’s an honour to have this King.
“And, you know, I think he represents the country so well. He’s such an elegant gentleman and he represents the country so well.”
The Queen meanwhile was resting at Windsor Castle, having pulled out of attending the Duchess of Kent’s funeral on Tuesday after suffering from acute sinusitis.
Camilla’s illness has raised questions over what part she will be able to play in Mr Trump’s high-stakes visit, but she is said to be hopeful she will recover in time to attend the busy run of royal events including the glittering banquet.
Mr Trump added that he will “talk to” ministers seeking a relief from steel levies.
The UK and US signed a trade deal in June that reduced tariffs on car and aerospace imports to the US, but failed to agree on terms for British steel, leaving tariffs on it at 25%.
Mr Trump said: “I’m there also on trade. They want to see if they can refine the trade deal a little bit.
“We’ve made a deal, and it’s a great deal, and I’m into helping them.
“Our country is doing very well. We’ve never done this well. We’re having trillions of dollars come in because of the tariffs.
“They’d like to see if they could get a little bit better deal. So, we’ll talk to them.”
His comments will be welcomed by Peter Kyle, the newly-appointed Business Secretary, who said that tariff relief for UK steel is being negotiated and that he will “make sure that we have an announcement as soon as possible”.
Over the weekend, Liam Byrne, the Labour chairman of the Commons Business and Trade Committee, said the state visit is “no mere pageant” and warned the Government that “we can’t escape the truth that Britain now trades with its biggest partner on terms that are worse than the past”.
There are no public-facing engagements for the president throughout, with thousands expected to take part in major protests against his two-day stay.
Security will be paramount, with Mr Trump confined to the private Windsor estate on the first full day, before heading to the Prime Minister’s country residence Chequers on Thursday.
Demonstrators from the Stop Trump Coalition will take to Windsor high street on Tuesday evening, followed by a march through central London the next day ending with a mass rally in Parliament Square.
Separately, Socialist Students said hundreds of students have pledged to walk out of schools, colleges and universities across the country on Wednesday.
Channel 4 will air a night of programming focusing on Mr Trump’s untruths, including 100 falsehoods, distortions and inaccuracies either written or said by the president during his time in office.
The trip is Mr Trump’s second state visit to the UK – an unprecedented gesture for a US president – with his last one six years ago in 2019 seeing thousands of people turn out on the streets in London in opposition and a 20 foot Trump baby blimp take to the skies.
Police plans to ensure Mr Trump, who will travel with his own security detail of Secret Service agents, is kept safe are under daily review amid the very high threat level and against the backdrop of the assassination of his ally Charlie Kirk.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will meanwhile play a key role in entertaining the president, who is known for his love of the royal family, and First Lady Melania Trump.
William and Kate will meet the American couple, who make an administrative arrival in the UK on Tuesday evening, in the grounds of the Windsor estate on Wednesday and escort them a short distance to see the King and Queen for an open air greeting nearby.
The proceedings are aimed at extending a personal, family-centred welcome to the Trumps ahead of the official ceremony in the castle quadrangle after a carriage ride through private Home Park.
The princess will also, in a rare move, carry out a joint engagement with Mrs Trump on Thursday in Frogmore Gardens where they will meet Chief Scout Dwayne Fields and members of the Scouts’ Squirrels programme as they learn about nature to achieve their Go Wild badge.
It has not yet been confirmed whether Kate, who announced at the start of the year that she was in remission from cancer, will attend the state banquet on Wednesday evening.
But it is likely she will be present at the opulent dinner during the diplomatically high-stakes visit, having done so for French President Emmanuel Macron in July.
Other issues Sir Keir Starmer’s Government will be keen to highlight is a new nuclear partnership with America, aimed at speeding up the development of power plants.
Some £1.25 billion of investment from US financial firms was also announced ahead of the visit.
“The state visit not only reflects centuries of bond between our two countries but cements the next 250 years as the closest of allies, creating a safer, richer future for people both sides of the Atlantic,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters.
Sir Keir may also use the state visit to convince Mr Trump that the US should heap further sanctions on Russia, as European powers scramble to help Ukraine.
The American leader has held off on imposing sanctions on Moscow, but has said he is ready to do so once other Nato countries stop buying Russian oil.
Efforts to woo Mr Trump may however prove more difficult than expected for Sir Keir with the absence of former ambassador Lord Peter Mandelson.
Britain’s top man in Washington was dismissed last week after the closeness of his relationship with the paedophile US financier Jeffrey Epstein came to light.
Mr Trump has also been implicated in the Epstein scandal, with a tranche of documents released by US legislators said to include a letter from the president to Epstein to celebrate his 50th birthday.
The White House has denied the message is authentic, but Mr Trump continues to face a domestic political battle over the scandal, all while Sir Keir faces continued questions about his judgment over the appointment of Lord Mandelson.
