The King and the President’s speeches were so complimentary it was as if they were renewing marriage vows.
King Charles and President Trump share a moment during the State banquet as thousands rally under Tommy Robinson’s banner in a parallel display of British nationalism.
London: Imagine a President Trump State visit and a Tommy Robinson March in the same week, but this was the reality show in the UK.
The Anglophile Donald J. Trump and his beautiful, stylish First Lady arrived to be greeted with all the fanfare, pomp and what is now called “tiara diplomacy” that Britain could muster. King Charles appeared very relaxed in the President’s company and Trump seemed to appreciate all the ceremony and efforts made. Following the Coldstream, Scotts and Grenadier Guard of Honour inspection the King warned the President to mind the sword during the final salute.
The guest list and the seating plan at the State banquet was master class in Royal diplomacy and etiquette. Trump’s family and his close aides were next to royals and tech giants. The guest list drew from across the worlds of business, AI, trade, media and the golf spectrum, all strategically placed. The menu was very British and unfussy, and even the drinks menu was selected to please the President. Despite him being a teetotaller, a new whisky sour and marmalade cocktail was invented and a California wine served. The 1945 port was chosen to reflect the 45th and 48th Presidency, and the special Champagne Cognac was chosen to reflect the President’s mother’s birth year.
The King and the President’s speeches were so complimentary it was as if they were renewing marriage vows. For all concerned, Wednesday’s events could not have gone better. The success was attributed to the King and Queen who made the nation proud.
Following meetings at Chequers on Thursday, Starmer announced the US and UK as first partners in trade, science (energy and defence) and tech. This last partnership, where the US invests $150 billion, might save Starmer as it will ensure economic growth and provide over 7,600 essential jobs. Trump praised the King, Queen and Prime Minister for their unforgettable hospitality and enlightened the audience about how he has already Made America Great Again.
During question time Starmer claimed there was a roadmap to peace in Gaza being prepared. Trump chose instead to highlight the plight of the remaining hostages, avoiding the recognition of a Palestinian State, which Starmer has previously said he will recognise at the UN on 22 September. Trump compared his success with the border to the UK’s recent rising numbers of illegal immigrants. He announced he wants the Bagram air base in Afghanistan back as “it is only an hour away from where China makes nuclear weapons.”
On being asked about ending the war in Ukraine, Trump reiterated his record of ending seven hostilities between countries and that he hopes to bring good news soon. Starmer then insisted on ramping up the pressure on President Putin now that The Coalition of the Willing has an American guarantee. Starmer was adept at avoiding a reply on whether Britain was still a Christian country, and on the issue of free speech in Britain. The Online Safety Act for Starmer is about protecting children from pedophiles, but it seems also useful to limit criticism of the government, with 1,200 arrests for social media posts.
Which brings us to Charlie Kirk, for whom Trump expressed genuine sadness and praised the important work he was doing. Charlie Kirk’s Christian faith and dedication to free speech were two of the predominant themes among the participants at the Unite The Kingdom rally organised by Tommy Robinson.
The patriotic sentiment behind the rally was demonstrated by the four countries’ flags—England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This was both an expression of identity and a protest about recent immigration and how it has disrupted the lives of ordinary people. These folks are fed up with political promises, newspaper headlines about censorship, and the prominence and judicial respect given to other cultures, which has left them feeling abandoned by their own system. Their detractors cast them away, saying they are “the great unwashed” who want to live off benefits forever. But the turnout of an estimated 2 million people took the establishment by surprise. The attendance number reported was 150,000, but this figure includes only the sanitised cordon area, not the peripheral bridges and roads that were packed.
There were so many supporters that the police decided to kettle the overflow. Un fortunately, that coincided with the Antifa crowd who had come to cause trouble, resulting in 24 arrests with 8 subsequently charged.
The leader of the UTK march was Tommy Robinson, who has had trouble shaking off his English Defence League (EDL) past, not helped by the defunct British National Party attempting to frame him as a Jewish operative. Despite his controversial reputation, Robinson’s MAGA-style theme and following cannot be discounted. For a man recently released from prison for contempt of court, he has coalesced a movement impossible to ignore. He will be influential in directing voter intention to the non-traditional parties, which is both a plus and a minus for Reform as EDL types will be a turn-off for Tory defectors. Significantly, neither Kemi Badenoch nor Nigel Farage have condemned the UTK rally.
Robinson has already joined Ben Habib’s party Advance UK, which Habib created after a disagreement with Reform UK where he was Deputy Leader. Robinson has matured and although many say he is uncouth, he is also savvy and an accomplished orator. He deployed his own marshals at the rally, which comprised large numbers of women and children. The rally ended with a gospel choir singing the morale boosting hymn Jerusalem, which was once performed by a choir of 300 at a Fight for Right meeting at the Queen’s Hall in London in 1916. Fight for Right was a movement established to promote British resolve during WWI.
It is rumoured that Robinson may be planning a simi lar gathering in Manchester before the Council elections in May 2026.
