President Donald Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom shifted from ceremony to substance on Thursday, with talks at Chequers expected to cover trade, a new transatlantic tech push and foreign policy flashpoints from Ukraine to Gaza. The diplomatic agenda follows a white-tie banquet at Windsor Castle, where guests dined on organic Norfolk chicken, hosted by King Charles III and attended by senior royals and US business leaders. Bloomberg first reported the move from “pomp to politics” and the banquet details.
Big-ticket investment and a “tech prosperity” push
Downing Street says the visit has catalysed a record £150 billion ($205 billion) of US investment commitments, expected to create about 7,600 jobs nationwide, with announcements spanning cloud and AI infrastructure, logistics and life sciences. Bloomberg and other outlets have highlighted pledges from major US firms and a broader US–UK tech partnership to be trailed around the Chequers meeting. Officials on the US side also flagged plans to unveil more than $10 billion in additional deals tied to the visit.
What’s on the table at Chequers
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Trump are expected to discuss trade facilitation, regulatory cooperation around digital and AI, and coordinated pressure on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Expectations for rapid breakthroughs remain tempered, but both sides are keen to frame the visit as an inflection point for a refreshed economic agenda. Bloomberg notes the leaders will also join a reception with technology executives accompanying the trip.
Messages from the castle
Amid the pageantry, both principals used carefully calibrated language. Trump lauded the transatlantic bond, “two notes in one chord”, and pledged to “stand for the values of the English-speaking world,” while King Charles invoked conservation and support for Ukraine, and nodded to the approaching 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence. Coverage by Bloomberg and Reuters underscored the symbolism of the setting and military spectacle, including a Royal Air Force flypast.
Protests and political turbulence
The carefully choreographed itinerary unfolded against a backdrop of demonstrations. Thousands rallied in central London under the Stop Trump Coalition banner, while a smaller number gathered near Windsor; police reported several arrests over projections onto the castle walls. Bloomberg, Reuters and other outlets reported that protests were largely peaceful and kept at distance from official events.
The visit also intersects with domestic turmoil in London. Starmer has faced questions over judgment after the removal of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington, following publication of emails detailing his past links to Jeffrey Epstein, revelations first surfaced in a Bloomberg investigation. Trump has separately denied any wrongdoing over his own past interactions with Epstein.
The outlook
Before departure, Trump and Starmer are due to hold a joint press conference that may highlight convergences on investment and tech, and expose differences on foreign policy and trade timelines. For now, the optics are clear: a royal showcase has given way to a pragmatic push for capital and competitiveness, with the US-UK economic corridor centre stage and the politics never far behind.