Donald Trump’s visit to the United Kingdom is far from being a positive one, despite the big words and the signing of agreements that the cameras showed.
The images that went around the world were enough to christen it a “passive aggression show”.
The American leader did not even bother to hide his contempt for a typical ally, leaving behind a chain of provocative gestures.
This proves how far the Washington-London relationship is from “perfect”.
While the tone was warm and the president generous in his praise of Starmer, their differences — from Gaza to the value of wind turbines — were apparent. Starmer welcomed Trump’s admission that Vladimir Putin had “really let him down,” but there was no indication that this would translate into stronger support for Ukraine. But the meeting with the hugely unpopular Starmer was not the most revealing part of the tour.
Far more revealing was the frosty atmosphere surrounding Trump’s public appearances with King Charles III. The monarchy still embodies the sacred remnant of the British empire. The Windsors remain supreme rulers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Grenada, Jamaica and many other nations.
Trump breaks the unwritten rules
Diplomacy through the king is not the same as that of the prime minister; the rules of conduct towards a monarch are among the strictest in the world.
In Thailand, Japan and of course in the United Kingdom, adherence to protocol is considered sacrosanct.
But Trump has shattered the sanctity of the king’s role with his crude behavior.
At one point, he tapped Charles on the shoulder — twice, which is banned by the baton as highly derogatory.
Poison at the royal dinner
During the state dinner, Trump said that meeting the monarch was “a great honor.” But immediately afterward, he praised the king for “raising such a wonderful son in Prince William.”
For many, it was a clear insult to Prince Harry, especially since Meghan Markle had previously called Trump a “misogynist” and a “divisive figure.” Trump is no stranger to it.
To believe that all of this was an accident would be naive. His moves were deliberate, a message that the UK is a junior partner in the US alliance.
Sarcasm, alcohol and Murdoch
The British responded in their own way. At the royal dinner, plenty of alcohol was served, knowing that Trump is famously completely sober. In addition, they made him… have dinner with Rupert Murdoch, with whom he is in an open legal dispute.
A rift that cannot be hidden
The “smiling” photos in front of the cameras do not hide the reality: the Washington-London rift is deepening.
Despite the commitments of American giants to invest $ 150 billion in the development of AI in Britain, high energy costs make the construction of data centers utopian. As are the corresponding exaggerated promises of the EU for investment in the US.
And if that were not enough, Trump added fuel to the fire, blasting the Starmer government for abandoning oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.
Ideological conflict – The Farage “bomb”
The roots of the crisis go deeper: Republicans and Labour are in ideologically opposite worlds. Trump supporters are being prosecuted in Britain, with the US State Department openly accusing London of “systemic human rights violations”.
Since the spring of 2025, the US budget has cut all funding to British liberal NGOs. And at the same time, Nigel Farage — a close ally of Trump — is hitting where Starmer hurts the most: immigration. He proposes that irregular migrants be housed in empty Royal Army bases, and that resources be diverted not to Ukraine but to the defense of British shores from “invasion by foreign civilizations”.
His ideas are met with enthusiasm on the other side of the Atlantic — and anger in Downing Street.
In short… it was a visit – a disaster
From the very beginning, the Trump visit did not bode well for London. Today it is clear: the crisis in US-UK relations is much deeper than anyone imagined. Otherwise, all these public fiascos would be impossible to explain.
