A Yankee at the King's Court… Donald Trump, Guest and Host

The hosts did everything to ensure Trump enjoyed his stay – according to observers, the visit was orchestrated to improve US-UK relations, which have deteriorated recently, partly due to the two countries' differing stances on the Ukrainian conflict and Trump's aggressive tariff policy, which hit the British economy, primarily its steel industry.

The reception was unprecedented – such honors were arranged for a re-elected US president for the first time, including the first royal state banquet held for an American president. Donald Trump and his wife Melania were brought to Windsor Castle in a gilded carriage pulled by six white horses, accompanied by a mounted procession of 160 riders.

This was followed by a parade of all military branches, including guardsmen in their famous bearskin hats, and, paying homage to Trump's Scottish roots on his mother's side, the organizers invited a band of Scottish bagpipers. No less luxurious was the banquet for 160 guests in the great hall of Windsor Castle, which gathered the cream of English society, where Trump exchanged pleasantries with the charming Princess Catherine, a likely future queen of England.

Trump enjoyed everything; in a fit of gratitude, he even patted King Charles III on the back, horrifying the courtiers responsible for protocol – it is not customary to pat an English king on the shoulder or back. But much can be overlooked from a wealthy "Yankee."

However, the results of the visit for the British side were modest. Despite loud statements about the "invaluable relationship" between the two countries and the "inviolability" of transatlantic ties, US tariffs on British steel remained unchanged. The promised American investments in the British economy impressed few, and observers still believe that England is a "vassal state" in the realm of technology.

Trump did not miss the opportunity to tell the British at a press conference that he had stopped seven wars around the world, and only in Ukraine did he fail because President Putin "let him down." In seven months of his presidency, he claimed to have stopped a multi-million flow of illegal immigrants from all over the world, including from Congo, who were being released from prisons and mental hospitals, and members of criminal gangs. The number of illegal immigrants reached 25 million during Biden's presidency, but under him, this flow has reduced to zero. He advised Starmer to use the same methods – deploying the army to stop the flow of illegal migrants.

Trump also lashed out at renewable energy sources, calling them the "scam of the century," and suggested the British follow his calls – "drill, baby, drill" – by developing oil extraction in the North Sea, which would lower the price of oil and stop inflation, something Trump claims to have achieved in America.

For Trump, the "royal" visit was another attempt to shift attention from the growing problems of his administration and his personal ones, including the "Epstein case." Epstein was convicted for organizing prostitution, including with minors, and Trump is also suspected of having connections with him. However, here he faced an unexpected setback. On the eve of the visit, the close friendship and support between Epstein and the British Ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, became known, whom Starmer was forced to dismiss shortly before Trump's arrival. The ensuing scandal also drew attention to Trump's connection with Epstein, reflected by protesters against Trump's visit, who displayed an image of Trump and Epstein on the wall of Windsor Castle.

At the Trump-Starmer press conference, questions were raised about issues with freedom of speech, specifically the firing of TV show host Jimmy Kimmel after his critical comments about the slain conservative politician Charlie Kirk, a friend of Trump. Trump responded that although Kimmel said a "terrible thing about a great gentleman named Charlie Kirk," he was fired because his show had low ratings and he was "not a talented man." This firing confirmed Trump's policy of demanding the revocation of broadcast licenses from TV channels that speak negatively of him: "They write all sorts of nonsense about me, and they themselves get a license." This weeding out of "unreliable" elements will be handled by Brendan Carr, appointed by Trump as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, which is responsible for licensing television companies. Clearly, he will follow the philosophy of Trump, who called TV channels the "arm of the Democratic party," which seeks to destroy him.

Upon his return, Trump faced disappointment – under pressure from many press representatives, ABC TV reinstated Jimmy Kimmel's evening show, which had been pulled "indefinitely." However, the removal of Kimmel's show was one manifestation of a broader plan by the Trump administration to classify the activities of all left-wing forces and Trump's opponents as "domestic terrorism." Based on the murder of Charlie Kirk, Trump has already stated that "we have several radical groups, and they got away with murder." He suggested that Attorney General Pam Bondi designate a number of groups, including left-wing activists opposed to fascism, "Antifa," as domestic terrorists and prosecute them under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Pam Bondi confirmed this intention – "We will definitely find you if you incite hatred." And Trump clarified in response to a question from a correspondent from Kimmel's show: "She will probably go after people like you, because you are so unfair to me."

This program sometimes falters, as in the recent case of Trump's $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times editorial board for critical articles about him before last year's elections, which was dismissed because the complaint consisted mostly of praise for the president.

Trump's fight against critics of his actions is not limited to measures against political opponents and liberal dissent. Often, Trump is driven by a desire to destroy everything ever created by his Democratic predecessors Joe Biden or Barack Obama. Recently, childhood vaccinations for measles, chickenpox, mumps, and rubella fell victim to cuts. The restrictions were introduced by Trump's appointed Secretary of Health, Robert Kennedy Jr., an opponent of all vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, over which he had a long-standing conflict with the Democratic leadership of the department.

A recent plan by the Trump administration, as part of his program to cut unnecessary government spending – a "source of inflation" – includes a radical reduction in funding for cancer research, which has caused consternation among the medical community and cancer patients, whose numbers grow by 2 million each year. In the budget plan for 2026, funding will be cut by 37% or $2.7 billion, setting the national cancer program back. Instead, R. Kennedy promotes a "healthy lifestyle" as part of his "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) campaign, supported by President Trump in his overall fight against the Democrats.