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Brits say this wanker's visit is a load of bollocks [1]

['Daily Kos Staff']

Date: 2025-09-16

President Donald Trump hopped across the pond on Tuesday to rub elbows with England’s royal family, but his welcome was less than warm.

Before Trump even landed in the United Kingdom, protesters were already making their feelings known outside of Windsor Castle where King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, are expected to roll out the red carpet Wednesday.

Activists from the protest group Everyone Hates Elon unfurl a photo of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein ahead of the state visit by Trump, in Windsor, England, on Sept. 15.

One of the first clear signs that the president might be heading into hostile territory was a 4,300-square-foot copy of the infamous snapshot of Trump with notorious accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. An activist group known as Everyone Hates Elon crowdfunded approximately $40,000 to splay the 1997 photo across the grounds outside Windsor Castle, according to the Daily Beast.

The group said American comedian Rosie O’Donnell, who has a contentious history with Trump, helped craft and spread the message.

Despite a growing right-wing presence in the U.K.—including in Scotland, where Trump was also not-so-warmly welcomed—many Brits are still holding ire for the U.S. president.

Another activist group, Fossil Free London, displayed banners on the grounds calling Trump a war and climate criminal.

“Genocide is unfolding. Seen on our phones through the faces of thousands of screaming children,” Fossil Free London Director Robin Wells told The Standard. “Floods and fires across Europe get closer each day to our own front doors. But Trump claps and cheers for more.”

The environmentalist group has protests scheduled for the duration of the president’s visit.

Related | Scots torment Trump on taxpayer-funded trip to his crappy golf courses

Another group, the Stop Trump Coalition, has scheduled a march Wednesday that thousands are expected to attend, according to the U.K. outlet.

But while citizens are speaking out against Trump’s visit, King Charles III is pulling out all the stops.

From an increased number of troops and horses—notably more than England offered for French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit—to military parades and musical acts, the country is sparing no expense to welcome Trump.

It isn’t just the exorbitant welcome party that has eyebrows raised, either. Trump’s visit with the royals marks his second state visit, making him the first political figure in modern history to be hosted more than once by the British royal family.

Protesters gather for a demonstration ahead of the arrival of President Donald Trump in Windsor, England, on Sept. 16.

"I was just notified by letter from King Charles that he's extended, through the prime minister, a historic second state visit to the United Kingdom. And that's a great honor because it's never happened before,” Trump bragged to the media on Monday.

The visit is also expected to foster financial deals, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent teaming with British finance minister Rachel Reeves to host a “Transatlantic taskforce” meeting. Tech billionaires like Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI's Sam Altman are expected to be in attendance, growing the AI companies’ reach across international borders.

But while Bessent and Reeves try to broker trade deals and financial partnerships, the Brits had a shadow over their country ahead of Trump’s visit.

On Thursday, officials cast out the U.K.’s ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, for ties to former Trump buddy Epstein. While the two governments are trying to build a stronger relationship, British officials can’t ignore Trump’s own friendship with the convicted sex offender.

British Parliament member Edward Leigh acknowledged that the American president “probably is rather embarrassed about his relationship with Epstein.”

But as Mendelson’s questionable push for Epstein’s release brought an early end to his career, Trump’s visit will likely be met with less questions and more support as Britain attempts to secure new deals.

"The focus is very much on the optics, the historic moment, the pomp,” a source told the BBC. “For Trump it's all about TV and this is great TV.”

Another British source told the outlet, "It's theatre. It's all show. It's not like we are going to do deep substance. We are sucking up to the most powerful guy in the world for good reason."

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