Trump concludes his state visit in the UK, expressing thanks to his hosts, and largely avoiding addressing contentious matters
In a visit marked by pageantry and splendor, President Donald Trump made his second state visit to the United Kingdom. The visit was filled with significant discussions and announcements, culminating in a historic agreement on science and technology signed by President Trump and the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
The two leaders showed a mutual admiration during their meeting, with Trump calling the king and queen "two fantastic people." Discussions between them ranged from geopolitical issues like the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, to U.S. tariff rates on steel imported from Britain.
One of the highlights of the visit was the announcement of billions of pounds in investment in the U.K.'s AI sector. American tech giants Microsoft, Nvidia, Google, and Blackstone pledged multi-billion euro/dollar investments. Microsoft, for instance, promised around 36.5 billion euros over four years, while Google committed 5 billion dollars over two years. Nvidia collaborated on a British version of the "Stargate" AI infrastructure initiative, and Blackstone announced over 100 billion euros in investments over ten years.
This deal is expected to bring thousands of jobs and billions in investment in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and nuclear energy. A U.K. arm of Stargate, a Trump-backed AI infrastructure project led by OpenAI, is part of the deal.
However, talks on lowering duties on steel and aluminum to zero from their current level of 25% have stalled, even with a promise four months ago of a settlement within weeks.
The prime minister has played a major part in European efforts to shore up U.S. support for Ukraine, but Trump's visit offered few major advancements in this regard.
Despite the positive developments, a disagreement between Trump and Starmer was noted regarding Britain's impending move to recognize a Palestinian state.
The visit was not without its controversies. Trump largely avoided questions about Jeffrey Epstein during his visit, and police arrested four people over a stunt that saw an image of Trump and Epstein projected on a tower at Windsor Castle.
Trump's helicopter made an unscheduled landing due to a minor hydraulic issue during the end of the trip.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla feted Trump and first lady Melania Trump at Windsor Castle with pomp and ceremony, making the visit a memorable one for all involved.
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