Donald Trump and Melania are in Downing Street today with Theresa May and her husband Philip on the second day of their whirlwind state visit to the UK.
The President and Britain’s Prime Minister laughed and joked together on the steps of No 10 but in an awkward moment the two world leaders failed to shake hands after Mrs Trump and Mr May’s handshake blocked their path.
Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner were also invited to the talks hours after he urged the outgoing Prime Minister to ‘stick around’ and do a ‘substantial’ post-Brexit trade deal with him.
He is also expected to demand Mrs May refuses to allow Huawei to help build Britain’s 5G network or risk intelligence-sharing between the two powers and also urge her to take a harder line on the US’ main enemy in the Middle East, Iran.
The President, who has criticised Mrs May for not pursuing No Deal or taking his advice to sue the EU, had earlier hinted that trade deal negotiations between the two nations could be close to completion within a ‘few weeks’.
Addressing Mrs May at a breakfast meeting at St James’ Palace this morning the leader of the free world said: ‘I don’t know exactly what your timing is but stick around, let’s do this deal, ok?’.
The PM will quit as Tory leader on Friday after being forced out by her own party for failing to deliver Brexit with Mr Trump’s ‘good friend’ Boris Johnson, who he said would do a ‘good job’, favourite to take over ahead of Michael Gove, who will meet the President later today.
Despite the tensions between May and Trump in recent years, he added: ‘I very much appreciate the relationship we have had. It’s been outstanding and I guess some people know that and some people don’t but you and I know it’s been a really very good relationship’.
Hinting that trade talks are going well for when Britain quits the EU Mr Trump said: ‘I think there is an opportunity to greatly enlarge that especially in light of what is happening [Brexit]. Make it much bigger. So we’re going to be working on that today, maybe tomorrow and the next few weeks but I think we’re going to have a very substantial trade deal’.
He added: ‘It’ll be a fair deal. This is something our folks want to do, your folks want to do and what we want to do and we’re going to get it done’.
Up to 250,000 anti-Trump protesters will be out in force today after organising a ‘carnival of resistance’ including a speech from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who snubbed last night’s state banquet. There will then be a march from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square this afternoon.
