US President Donald Trump has been and gone from the UK, and has left his mark as usual – and the Daily Star has put together the six maddest moments from the entire trip
The dust has settled and the Don has left – but the impact made by the President of the United States will live long in the memory . . . and not always for the best reasons. During his whirlwind 48-hour trip, Donald Trump met the King, Queen, other Royals, the Prime Minister, the PM’s wife, members of the baying British media, and for some reason, Kemi Badenoch who bagged a selfie with him during the State Banquet.
And while the trip was relatively peaceful for a Trump experience, with a lack of notable protests, there were some standout moments from the leader of the free world.
So we’ve broken down the six most shocking moments from the trip, including what appears to be some form of selective amnesia he should probably see a doctor about.
New ambassador, who dis?
Peter Mandelson and Donald Trump have been pictured together in the Oval Office at the White House on many, many occasions. They worked on deals and other political talks, and the disgraced ex-British ambassador to the US who was sacked last week over ties to Jeffrey Epstein even stood behind Trump in the office and spoke to him – we all saw it, it was on camera.
However, in a very surreal moment, when asked by Sky News journalist Beth Rigby during Thursday’s press conference about Mandelson, Trump gave the most bizarre answer.
He said: “I don’t know him, actually. I had heard that, and I think maybe the prime minister would be better speaking of that, that was a choice that he made, I don’t know.”
Selective amnesia is a worrying sign.
‘I love the UK but I also hate the UK’
Donald Trump took centre stage at the grand banquet earlier this week, and for some reason he decided to use the moment to have a rant about the UK – in front of King Charles, the Queen and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
In apparently scripted remarks, the US President referred to “free speech” and said the “Union Jack is ever flown” – which many will see as political references to UK domestic politics – while also emphasising the word “English” when talking about he “English speaking world”. Speaking publicly for the first time since arriving in the UK, Trump apparently veered away from his prepared remarks, turning to the King and saying: “We are, as a country, as you know, doing unbelievably well.”
Bit weird, Don
During the trip, Donald met Kate Middleton – and it all got a bit creepy. Think about the times your rather drunk uncle has made somewhat pervy comments to another relative or friend in a darkened corner of a family gathering.
Well, this meeting had the same vibes, as revealed by lip reading expert Jeremy Freeman. When the pair made as he stepped off Marine One, he was greeted by Kate and Prince William.
And when shaking Kate’s hand, he creepily said: “You’re so beautiful.”
Kate being Kate didn’t really react and appeared to move the conversation on . . . because how is one meant to react to someone like Donald Trump with his record on women being pervy towards you?
‘I am the peacemaker’
If there’s one person who will never give up the chance to congratulate himself – it’s US President Donald Trump. During a press conference at Chequers on Thursday, trump claimed that he had “solved seven wars, seven wars, wars that were unsolvable – wars that couldn’t be negotiated were done”.
“The US has done seven of them,” he said before going into a rant about Vladimir Putin letting him down over the ending of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
He then promised to end the war between Israel and Hamas, while stating that wars are “not an easy thing”. We fact checked the claim – which you can see in full here – but let’s just say that the “seven wars” statement is a bit of a stretch . . . .
Problematic entry
Always one to make an entrance, Trump’s arrival could have been a real headline-maker but for all the wrong reasons.
Air Force One – you know that gigantic plane that has the US Presidential seal on it and is kind of hard to miss in mid-air – was nearly thrust into tragedy after a Spirit Airlines passenger jet reportedly crossed paths with the plane.
The incident occurred on Tuesday after a flight nearly hit the presidential Boeing 747 over Long Island. The air traffic controller noticed the planes were at a similar altitude and were heading for a collision, after he tried to warn the Spirit pilots to change course.
Luckily the planes remained at a safe distance of several miles from each other, but a recording of the exchange between the pilots and controller has been shared on social media, showing the dispatcher giving sharp orders: “Spirit 1300, turn right 20 degrees. Do it now!” The crew then added a hint that the other plane knew the jet belonged to the President.
Problematic exit
And Trump’s exit was not exactly smooth, either, as his Marine One helicopter had to make an emergency landing.
The American leader and the first lady Melania Trump were on the Marine One helicopter at the time when it suffered a hydraulic issue.
The White House said the helicopter stopped at a “local airfield” out of an “abundance of caution” after a “minor hydraulic issue” was detected, before the pair boarded a support helicopter to continue their journey.
They had been travelling from the Prime Minister’s country residence at Chequers to London’s Stansted airport, where Air Force One was waiting to take them back to the United States. Trump arrived around 20 minutes behind schedule, but the White House did not provide a reason for the delay before take off.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: “Due to a minor hydraulic issue, and out of an abundance of caution, the pilots landed at a local airfield before reaching Stansted airport.
“The president and first lady safely boarded the support helicopter.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
#maddest #moments #Trumps #visit #creeping #Kate #Mandelson #amnesia
