President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump completed a second state visit to the United Kingdom this week, meeting with King Charles III and Prime Minister Keir Starmer before returning to Washington on Friday.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the couple had to switch helicopters due to a hydraulics issue on Marine One. “Out of an abundance of caution, the pilots landed at a local airfield before reaching Stansted Airport,” Leavitt told reporters. “The president and first lady safely boarded the support helicopter.” The short flight from the prime minister’s Chequers estate to Stansted was expected to take about 20 minutes but lasted nearly 40 minutes because of the diversion.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla hosted the Trumps for the unusual second state visit, which centered on expanding U.S. investment in Britain. Trump spent the morning at Windsor Castle with the king before flying to Chequers for talks with Starmer on politics and business.
After private discussions that were expected to cover Ukraine, the Gaza conflict, energy, and free speech, the two leaders met with business executives. Starmer described a new agreement as a “tech-prosperity deal” and called the broader £250 billion mutual investment package under the U.S.-UK alliance “the most natural partnership in the world.”
Trump said the accord would create “billions of dollars of opportunities” and give the United States better access to Britain’s aerospace supply chain. He highlighted a science and technology partnership focused on artificial intelligence, quantum computing, fusion energy, 6G, and civil nuclear power, built around deregulation and innovation.
The president noted that the agreement is already driving more than $350 billion in private-sector deals, including a $136 billion commitment from Blackstone. He also pointed to a long-discussed arrangement between American company X Energy and Britain’s Centrica to deploy modular nuclear reactors across the UK. That project is projected to generate more than $50 billion in economic value, create up to 2,500 jobs, and power 1.5 million homes.
“You need the energy,” Trump said, stressing that reliable power is essential for AI leadership. “That’s one thing I learned very quickly.”
The president returned to the White House on Friday after the multi-day trip.
