Donald Trump has landed in the UK ahead of an unprecedented second state visit.
The US president and the first lady, Melania Trump, touched down on Tuesday evening at London Stansted onboard Air Force One ahead of a series of events over the next two days, including being hosted by King Charles, military parades and a possible flypast by the Red Arrows alongside British and American F-35 jets.
It comes amid criticism in the UK of Trump’s policies and rhetoric, with the Stop Trump Coalition gathering for a protest in Windsor on Tuesday and the group planning another demonstration in central London on Wednesday.
Writing in the Guardian, Sadiq Khan accused the US president of doing more than anyone else to “fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years”.
The mayor of London said the US president’s deployment of the military in US cities and targeting of minorities was “straight out of the autocrat’s playbook”.
Khan said that while he understood the pragmatic reasons for maintaining good links with the US, Britain should not be afraid of criticising a leader who alongside his allies had “perhaps done the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years”.
The so-called special relationship between the UK and US, Khan said, “includes being open and honest with each other”, adding: “At times, this means being a critical friend and speaking truth to power.”
Khan also publicly clashed with Trump during his first state visit in 2019.
On Tuesday, about 70 protesters gathered outside Windsor Castle to demonstrate against Trump’s historic second state visit to the UK, marking the first in a series of planned demonstrations against the US president throughout his stay.
The Stop Trump Coalition’s protest stood peacefully on Windsor high street before marching the short distance up to the castle’s King Henry VIII gateway.
People protesting against Trump’s visit in Windsor on Tuesday. Photograph: Kin Cheung/AP
People held placards and banners condemning the president, chanting “Trump out” and “say it loud, say it clear: Donald Trump not welcome here”.
“After the racist march on Saturday, we need to be out, we need to be heard, we need to show that we don’t support what’s going on in the world right now,” said protester Lisa Bevan.
Geoff Holland had come from Southampton to show his support. “[The government] should be cutting ties,” he said. “They should be making him crawl across broken glass and beg for a phone call with us, not rolling out the red carpet. It is repulsive. Does anyone believe that this disgusting man deserves this unprecedented treatment?”
Jake Atkinson, spokesperson for the Stop Trump Coalition, said: “Donald Trump’s politics are politics of fascism and authoritarianism. Not only are we making our voices heard in opposition to Trump and his politics, but we want to send a signal to our government, that this is not how the British people feel, it’s not what the British people want.
“We want to stand in solidarity with people in the US, with people in Palestine, with people in Ukraine, and with people all over the world who are seeing Trump’s politics do damage to our democracy and to our planet.
The King Charles and Camilla will greet Donald and Melania Trump with a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle. As they shake hands, gun salutes will be fired simultaneously by the British army in Windsor and at the Tower of London.
The largest guard of honour ever at a state visit will be presented to Trump for inspection, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). About 1,300 members of the British military and 120 horses will be involved, with 160 personnel from the Royal Marines and Royal Navy, 1,000 from the British army and 140 from the Royal Air Force.
The US president, whose taste for pomp and pageantry is well-known, will join Charles for a carriage procession towards the castle, accompanied by the sovereign’s escort of the household cavalry mounted regiment.
British and US musicians will perform a special Beating Retreat military ceremony, the first time it will be performed at a state visit. The lavish state banquet will feature performances by the Duchess of Edinburgh’s String Orchestra, the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry and pipers from the Scots Guards.
Trump will head to Keir Starmer’s country residence Chequers in Buckinghamshire on Thursday, with aviators from RAF Halton lining the route on his arrival.
Some came out in support of Trump. Anne Daley, 65, had come from Cardiff, brandishing a cardboard cut out of Trump and wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.
She said she hoped Trump’s visit could help broker world peace. “We need him inside the tent,” she said of the president. “We need him as an ally. We need America. I hope that when they have afternoon tea with the king, they can [agree] to stop bombing Palestinian people. And stop bombing Ukraine. Children are being killed – for what reason?’
Windsor local David Citrine, 73, said he wouldn’t be protesting, but felt the demonstration did reflect
the views of the majority of UK citizens. “I wouldn’t say he’s my favourite person in the world,” he said. “[The state visit] is obviously to placate Trump, but I’d probably prefer it if he wasn’t coming.”
