The United Kingdom rolled out the red carpet for President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on September 17, 2025, as they kicked off a two-day state visit marked by unprecedented royal pageantry, political intrigue, and intense public protest. The spectacle at Windsor Castle, with its historic halls and sprawling gardens, provided a dramatic backdrop to a day that unfolded with both celebration and controversy.
Trump’s arrival was met with the largest military ceremony for a visiting foreign leader in living memory, according to NBC News. Over 1,300 military personnel and 120 horses participated, lining the processional route as the president and King Charles III rode together in the Irish State Coach through the royal estate. The British army fired a 41-round gun salute from Windsor Castle and simultaneously at the Tower of London, a display of ceremonial might that underscored the significance of the visit.
Inside the castle, Prince William and Princess Kate greeted the Trumps in the Walled Garden, before the president and first lady were welcomed by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The day’s events included a carriage procession, a tour of the historic castle, and a state banquet attended by British and American dignitaries, CEOs, and members of both royal and presidential families. The menu featured Hampshire watercress panna cotta, organic Norfolk chicken ballotine, and a vanilla ice cream bombe, all paired with English, French, and American wines from the U.K. government’s cellars.
Trump, in his toast at the banquet, described the occasion as “one of the highest honors of my life,” telling King Charles, “Such respect for you and such respect for your country. We’re like two notes in one chord, each beautiful on its own but meant to be played together.” He praised the current state of the United States, stating, “We had a very sick country one year ago. Now I believe we have the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
Yet, outside Windsor’s ancient walls, the mood was far less celebratory. Thousands gathered in central London to protest Trump’s visit, with demonstrators carrying signs reading “stop Trump,” “stop fascism,” and “stop the genocide”—the latter referencing the ongoing crisis in Gaza. According to NBC News, Palestinian flags and calls to end the war in Gaza featured prominently, as the U.S. role as Israel’s closest ally drew sharp criticism. Shaista Aziz, co-organizer of the Stop Trump Coalition, said, “It’s really quite clear — Trump is not welcome in the U.K., and Trumpism is not welcome either.”
Some British politicians also made their opposition clear. Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, boycotted the state banquet, telling the Press Association that Trump “won’t listen to me directly,” but he hoped his absence would send a message about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. “He can ring up Prime Minister Netanyahu and stop the fighting and the killing and get food in, and he can ring up the Qatari government and governments in the Gulf and get them to force Hamas to release the hostages,” Davey said.
The day was not without its lighter moments. The royal household’s fendersmith, Gary Jones, was on hand to tend to Windsor Castle’s 300 fireplaces—a family tradition since 1984. The castle’s nearly 400 clocks and its 750-year-old kitchen, the oldest working kitchen in the country, added to the sense of history. Buckingham Palace revealed the gifts exchanged: the king and queen gave Trump a hand-bound leather book and the Union Flag that flew above Buckingham Palace on his inauguration day, while the Trumps presented a replica Eisenhower sword and a vintage Tiffany brooch.
Amid the pageantry, significant political developments were unfolding back in the United States. The Federal Reserve, under the leadership of Jerome Powell, announced its first interest rate cut of the year—a quarter-point reduction—citing a cooling labor market. According to The Wall Street Journal, Powell acknowledged, “The labor market is really cooling off.” The Fed projected two additional cuts later in the year. The move followed months of pressure from President Trump, who had repeatedly called for lower rates, but Powell insisted, “We’ve done very large rate hikes and very large rate cuts in the last five years, and you tend to do those at a time when you feel that policy is out of place and needs to move quickly to a new place. That’s not at all what I feel.”
On Capitol Hill, FBI Director Kash Patel faced a second day of grilling before the House Judiciary Committee after a marathon Senate hearing. Patel was questioned about the agency’s handling of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, transparency in the Jeffrey Epstein case, and the broader issue of political violence. Patel defended the FBI’s actions, stating, “We have routinely asked for people to come forward with more evidence and we will look at it.” He also confirmed, “Donald Trump has not been, and I can only speak for the FBI, an informant of the FBI.”
Patel’s testimony grew heated at times, with Democrats accusing him of withholding information and being part of a “cover-up” in the Epstein case. Patel responded, “Any allegations that I’m a part of a cover-up to protect child sexual trafficking and victims of human trafficking and sexual crimes is patently and categorically false.” The House Judiciary Committee also voted to table a resolution introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar, reflecting sharp partisan divides as a potential government shutdown loomed at the end of the month.
Meanwhile, former CDC Director Susan Monarez testified in the Senate about her abrupt firing after just three weeks on the job. Monarez alleged that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave her an ultimatum to “preapprove” new vaccine recommendations from an advisory panel that included experts skeptical of vaccine safety, or be dismissed. Her ouster highlighted ongoing tensions in public health policy.
In the media world, Disney’s ABC announced that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would be pre-empted indefinitely following the host’s controversial monologue about Charlie Kirk, sparking debate over free speech and political influence in entertainment. Democratic lawmakers decried the suspension as an attack on free speech, while some Republicans applauded the move.
As the first day of Trump’s state visit drew to a close, the contrast between the royal splendor inside Windsor Castle and the charged atmosphere outside could not have been more stark. The day’s events underscored the deep divides—both transatlantic and domestic—shaping politics, policy, and public sentiment in 2025.
