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After Day of Pomp, May Hosting Trump for Talks

by VOA News

   British Prime Minister Theresa May is hosting U.S. President Donald
   Trump for a series of meetings Tuesday in London on his second day of a
   state visit.

   The two leaders are scheduled to go before reporters for a joint news
   conference after their talks.

   Trump and his wife Melania will then have dinner with Prince Charles
   and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

   Monday was a day full of pomp and circumstance with Britain's Queen
   Elizabeth greeting President Trump and Melania after they arrived at
   Buckingham Palace by helicopter. After a welcoming ceremony that
   included a 41-gun salute, the Trumps had a private lunch with the queen
   and a tour of the palace art gallery.

   'The rest of the day included inspecting the Guard of Honor formed by
   the Grenadier Guards, a tour of historic Westminster Abbey, tea with
   Prince Charles at his London home, Clarence House.

   But the highlight of the day was the white-tie-and-tiaras state banquet
   at Buckingham Palace. Besides the queen and her husband Prince Philip,
   other royals in attendance included Prince Charles and Camilla, and
   Prince William and his wife, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge.

   Also at the dinner were Trump's four adult children -- Donald Trump
   Jr.; Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner; Eric Trump and his
   wife, Lara; and Tiffany Trump.

   Trump said in his toast that the liberation of millions from tyranny in
   World War II "forever sealed'' the bond between Britain and the United
   States.

   In her toast, the queen said, "Tonight, we celebrate an alliance that
   has helped to ensure the safety and prosperity of both our peoples for
   decades, and which I believe will endure for many years to come.''

   'Noticeably absent from the Trumps' day was Meghan, Duchess of Sussex,
   the American-born wife of Prince Harry who is on maternity leave after
   giving birth to a son last month. She had been critical of Trump during
   the 2016 presidential campaign.

   Trump's visit comes as Britain is in the midst of political turmoil, as
   May is scheduled to resign on Friday after failing to complete
   Britain's exit from the European Union.

   That process will be inherited by her successor, with no clear path to
   a resolution among sharply divided parties.

   Trump has publicly backed former Foreign Minister Boris Johnson, and
   told reporters late Sunday he may meet with Johnson and pro-Brexit
   politician Nigel Farage while he is in London.

   'What is certainly not on his agenda is a meeting with London Mayor
   Sadiq Khan, who wrote in The Observer newspaper that welcoming Trump
   for a state visit is "un-British."He cited Trump's sharing of tweets
   from a "British far-right racist group," the president's rejection of
   scientific evidence of climate change, and Trump "trying to interfere
   shamelessly" in the race to replace May.

   When asked if he would be open to meeting with Khan, Trump said Sunday,
   "No, I don't think much of him."

   Upon landing in London, Trump continued his attack on Khan, calling him
   a "stone cold loser" who "has been foolishly 'nasty' to the visiting
   President of the United States, by far the most important ally of the
   United Kingdom."

   Trump's trip will also include D-Day commemoration ceremonies in both
   Britain and France, and a stop in Ireland.