Trump state visit live: US president facing huge protest on arrival in UK with Melania before meeting King Charles

The United States and Britain plan to announce more than $10 billion in economic deals this week as part of US president Donald Trump’s state visit, senior US officials said on Monday.

The two governments are expected to seal a trade agreement with three pillars: a new science and technology partnership to strengthen the tech sectors of both countries, cooperation in civil nuclear power, and advances in defence technology cooperation, the officials said in a telephone briefing.

Several US tech business leaders are expected to be in attendance for the state visit, the officials said.

Socialist Students said hundreds of students have pledged to walk out of schools, colleges and universities across the country on Wednesday.

Separately, a protest is planned in central London ending near Parliament on Wednesday, with a smaller demonstration in Windsor on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the Stop Trump Coalition said: “After seeing the UK’s largest far-right demo this past weekend, it is even more essential to turn out to protest against Donald Trump’s state visit.

“Starmer’s response to this disgusting display was too little, too late, and now he’s welcoming Trump here to discuss nuclear and tech deals that will help the rich get richer but do nothing for everyday people.

“We do not want our government to trade away our democracy and decency.”

Police preparing for the US president’s state visit are “content” with their security plans despite expected protests and the recent assassination of Donald Trump ally Charlie Kirk.

Assistant Chief Constable Christian Bunt, from Thames Valley Police (TVP), told journalists that preparations are under daily review, but had already been set up to deal with a very high threat level because of the nature of the visit.

The state visit is taking place within the private grounds of Windsor Castle and Chequers, the Prime Minister’s country home.

“We are constantly keeping under review our approach to these operations. We’re doing that on a daily basis, right through the planning phase,” Mr Bunt said.

“I’m very content that we have planned a very comprehensive policing and security operation that has taken into consideration just about every eventuality of what could happen.

“And we do understand that things happen elsewhere in the world, and the wider context that we’re operating in, that can impact our security operations.

“We’ve done all the reviews we need to. We keep them under ongoing review, and our security posture is as it needs to be for this operation.”

There have been several vocal opponents against Mr Trump’s state visit, often citing his divisive politics and stance on issues such as migration, climate change and Gaza.

A “Trump Not Welcome” demonstration has been planned by the Stop Trump Coalition in London on Wednesday 17 September. The group previously organised a protest against the US president’s visit in 2018, which drew around 250,000 attendees.

A spokesperson for the Stop Trump Coalition said: “We are protesting against this undeserved state visit to make sure the world knows this is not done in our name.

“The UK government is rolling out the red carpet so we want to show the massive opposition to Trump and creeping fascism – and pressure our own government in the UK to stand up to Trump and his disastrous policies and show solidarity with people who are already suffering from their effects, from the US to Palestine.”

The group also organised protests in Aberdeen and Edinburgh against Mr Trump’s recent visit to Scotland. Hundreds of demonstrators turned out in the two cities.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said he will boycott the ceremonial banquet for Mr Trump to “send a message” to the US president and Sir Keir over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

A state visit is a formal trip to the UK by the head of another country. Traditionally, the leader is invited by the monarch, who is acting on government advice.

It is a grand occasion, intended to mark positive relations between the two nations. Alongside the ceremony, there also tend to be political discussions between the leaders.

It is unusual for a US president serving a second term to be offered a state visit. They are usually instead invited for tea or lunch with the monarch, as happened with former presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush.

Responding to the King and Sir Keir’s invitation in February, Mr Trump said it was a “great, great honour”.

Channel 4 is to air a night of programming focusing on Donald Trump untruths, including an impersonator taking over from its continuity announcer to give out false information.

On Wednesday, the first official day of the US president’s state visit to the UK, the channel will show Trump V The Truth, which will show the president making 100 falsehoods, distortions and inaccuracies, either written or said by Mr Trump during his time in office.

The show will feature untrue statements punctuated by brief text-based fact-checks, while the impersonator will work as the show’s continuity announcer throughout the day giving out misleading programme synopses and exaggerated running times.

Ian Katz, chief content officer at Channel 4, said: “Donald J Trump loves making history. So on Wednesday Channel 4 will do just that: we’ll show what we believe to be the longest uninterrupted reel of untruths, falsehoods and distortions ever broadcast on television.

“We hope it will remind viewers how disorientating and dangerous the world becomes when the most powerful man on earth shows little regard for the truth. And if President Trump cares to watch along after the state banquet, he may even clear up a few misconceptions.”

Channel 4 will also air the second episode of The Donald Trump Show, a three-part documentary from filmmakers 72 Films, which uses news footage from TV, podcasts and social media to tell the story of the last nine months of the 79-year-old’s presidency as an unfolding soap opera.

Officers deployed for Donald Trump’s state visit will have access to a wide range of equipment and weapons, including Tasers, baton guns which propel rubber bullets, Glock 17 sidearms, Lewis Machine & Tool rifles, and shotguns, which are used on dangerous animals.

Additionally, police officers will have access to overalls, gloves, respirators and ballistic helmets “for anything that is CBRN-related – chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear,” police sergeant and operational firearms commander Daniel Hatfield said.

“That is something which hopefully is very unlikely to happen, but if there was ever to be a firearms threat as well as CBRN, this is what we would deploy with our weapons system,” Sergeant Hatfield added.

The equipment will be kept in ARV vans, alongside a first-aid kit and ballistic protection shields, police said.

Police have said officers will be ready to respond to a potential high-threat incident in Windsor ahead of Donald Trump’s state visit.

The King is to host the US president and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, at Windsor Castle from Tuesday to Thursday, where they will be feted with a ceremonial welcome and state banquet.

A 24-hour-a-day policing operation will be in place in the Berkshire town during the event, with a temporary order restricting the airspace from Tuesday – when the state visit rehearsal is to take place – until Thursday.

Armed officers will be patrolling the streets with Armed Response Vehicles (ARVs) ready to respond in case of increased threat, Thames Valley Police said last week during a media briefing at the force’s training centre in Sulhamstead, Berkshire.

“We have considered anything from a low to a hight-threat incident, and it’s a very comprehensive security operation as a result,” police sergeant and operational firearms commander Daniel Hatfield said.

“Every single state visit or policing operation of this nature comes with its own merits, and every operation or plan is constructed individually.”

Sergeant Hatfield added: “It’s not the first time a president of the United States has visited Windsor and relationships with our American colleagues are well forged, well practised, so it makes planning a security operation like this a lot easier.”