The Donald arrives for four-day red carpet visit: Trump and Melania set foot on UK soil for first time as President and First Lady - as he gives 'very complimentary speech on England' to Embassy staff
Title : The Donald arrives for four-day red carpet visit: Trump and Melania set foot on UK soil for first time as President and First Lady - as he gives 'very complimentary speech on England' to Embassy staff
Link : The Donald arrives for four-day red carpet visit: Trump and Melania set foot on UK soil for first time as President and First Lady - as he gives 'very complimentary speech on England' to Embassy staff
- US president has landed at Stansted Airport with First Lady Melania at around 1pm as he starts four-day trip
- 10,000 police officers have been drafted in to protect him from protests - biggest number since 2011 riots
- Mr Trump accompanied by 1,000 of own staff plus planes, helicopters and cars including bomb-proof 'Beast'
- Not official state visit but red carpet is being rolled out as he meets the Queen at Windsor and PM at Chequers
- Thousands expected to protest against him as he tours UK and giant 'Trump baby balloon' will fly over London
- But he said in response: 'I think it's fine. A lot of people like me there. They agree with me on immigration'
President Trump is said to have given a 'positive' and 'complimentary' speech about England as he addressed US Embassy workers within hours of his arrival in the UK.
He touched down in Britain for his first official visit and has already brushed off mass protests by saying: 'I think they like me a lot in the UK' and caused Theresa May a major new headache over Brexit.
Most people, a number of whom said they worked at the embassy in London, were tight-lipped as they left a secured area in the park near the US ambassador's residence, where Mr Trump and his wife Melania will stay overnight.
Some cited 'job restrictions' while another said he was wary of the press. But one woman said Mr Trump had given a 'short speech' which she described as 'lovely'.
Another man, who did not wish to give his name, said: 'It was very complimentary to England and to the allies that we have, very positive.'
The US President, 72, who will meet the Prime Minister and Queen during a four-day red carpet visit, landed at Stansted Airport on Air Force One at just before 2pm and walked off hand-in-hand with First Lady Melania.
Donald Trump raises his fist in the air as he lands at the US Ambassador's historic London home at the start of his four-day tour
Marine One carrying The Donald and his wife passes the BT Tower and comes in to land at the US Ambassador's central London residence this afternoon
Earlier President Trump and Melania walked from Air Force One as they landed at Stansted Airport this afternoon
America's Commander-in-Chief has 1,000 of his own staff in the UK and a giant motorcade led by his bomb-proof Cadillac nicknamed 'The Beast' as well as multiple helicopters including Marine One to fly him around.
The President and his First Lady were met on the tarmac by US Ambassador Woody Johnson and UK Trade Secretary Liam Fox before he was whisked off to Mr Johnson's house near Regent's Park.
Tonight he will attend a gala dinner with US and UK business leaders at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire - the ancestral seat of Sir Winston Churchill.
Earlier today Mr Trump gave an extraordinary press conference in Brussels after giving NATO leaders a bruising over defence cash, where he wrote off protesters and said Theresa May's Brexit deal probably wasn't what Britons voted for.
When asked about the threat of mass demonstrations he said: 'I think it's fine. A lot of people like me there. I think they agree with me on immigration. I think that's why Brexit happened'.
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania were given a guard of honour by the RAF after arriving in the UK today
Protesters have pledged to follow him wherever he goes in Britain and 10,000 police officers have been drafted in to protect him - the largest number deployed since the 2011 riots.
Almost two million people signed a petition demanding he be banned from the UK because they believe he is sexist and racist and 'Stop Trump' campaigners say he will face a 'Wall of Sound' outside all the landmarks he visits because supporters will bang pots and pans.
Despite not being an official state visit, the Government is desperate to ensure the US leader feels he is being treated with the appropriate level of pomp and ceremony.
He will be treated to a Guard of Honour when he meets the Queen at Windsor Castle for tea tomorrow, there will also be a grand dinner at Blenheim Palace tonight as well as a lunch with Theresa May at Chequers on Friday.
Tonight he will stay at the US Ambassador official residence in Regent's Park, London, which has been surrounded by a ring of steel of new security fences and road barriers to prevent a terror attack.
On Saturday he will fly up to Scotland to play golf at one of his resorts and his son Eric landed in the family's 'Trump Force One' private jet at Aberdeen this morning, before flying to Helsinki to meet Vladimir Putin on Monday.
Donald Trump salutes the US Marines who flew him from Stansted to Regent's Park in London on the first day of his four-day tour
Marine One, the President's helicopter, is one of a large number of aircraft he has brought with him for the British visit (shown here landing with him inside)
Heavy-duty Osprey aircraft flown by the US Marine Corp were present at Stansted Airport for Mr Trump's arrival today
Mr Trump was whisked off in US helicopters to the home of the US Ambassador to the UK in central London
The president was delayed for almost an hour when the Nato summit in Brussels he had been attending overran because he demanded member states increase their contributions faster than originally planned
The couple held hands as they walked onto British soil together but both will face protests during their stay
The US President lands at Stansted Airport inside Air Force One (pictured) will meet the Prime Minister and Queen during a four-day red carpet visit
Today the US President described Britain as a 'pretty hot spot right now with a lot of resignations' and suggested his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday could be easier.
And he made clear that he did not approve of the softer stance the PM has been advocating despite fury from many Tory MPs.
'Brexit is Brexit, the people voted to break it up so I would imagine that is what they'll do, but they might take a different route, I'm not sure that's what people voted for,' Mr Trump said, adding: 'They're great people - I just want them to be happy. The EU better be careful. I warned them. Immigration is taking over Europe,
He added it seemed as if the UK was 'getting at least partially involved back with the European Union'.
'I'd like to see them be able to work it out so it could go quickly,' he said.
Protests will culminate in a 70,000-strong march through London from Portland Place to Trafalgar Square.
The 'Stop Trump' march is part of a wider 'carnival of resistance' across the UK while he is here.
Other protests - including several 'family friendly' gatherings - will take place at every place he will visit over the coming days.
Today Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick declared: 'We will keep him safe'.
The Metropolitan Police will be responsible for the protection and security of the US president and will also try to ensure lawful protests can be staged.
Ms Dick said: 'We will keep him safe. We will facilitate lawful protest and we will uphold other people's rights as much as we can.'
She was speaking at the Air Power Conference in London where 450 guests included RAF personnel, foreign air chiefs, academics and industry specialists.
Ms Dick said: 'Later today we have a visiting head of state from across the pond.
'Tomorrow we have some large protests in central London and as the president of the United States makes his way through the country it is the Metropolitan Police who are responsible for his protection and security.
'Tonight there will be protests, tomorrow there will be protests.
'On Saturday there will be sort-of related protests (from the) far-right and far-left and probably the most difficult.'
Command suites and coordinating groups based in Lambeth, south London, will involve a wide range of people including from all the emergency services, the military, Foreign Office and Home Office, plus officials who run transport services in London and beyond.
Ms Dick said they will be linked through to units at the same level in sectors such as the intelligence world.
She added: 'They will be talking to teams on the ground and they will be liaising with police services up and down the country. They will be doing that in concert with the Civil Aviation Authority, the US Air Force and the RAF.
'We in this country, and I hope I do not regret saying this, are very good at this sort of thing.'
Ms Dick also said the workforce which is having to 'flex, surge and to respond' to events is made up of 'fantastic people with a clear sense of mission, high skills and amazing ethics'.
The protesters promised to create a 'wall of sound' outside the official US ambassador's residence. Above, a woman strikes a colander with a ladle while others hold up signs expressing disapprobation of the president
Anti-Trump activists gather outside the 'Ring of Steel' fence put up to secure the president when he stays in Regent's Park, London
A giant 'Human Rights Nightmare' banner is unfurled by Amnesty International activists across the River Thames on Vauxhall Bridge
The capital's Mayor Sadiq Khan has allowed a group to fly a giant balloon showing Mr Trump as a baby in a nappy over the capital during his visit.
Nearly every force in England and Wales has contributed officers to help with the massive mobilisation, the biggest since the 2011 riots.
The US President arrives after giving NATO leaders a tongue-lashing in Brussels over defence spending and controversial comments about Britain being in 'turmoil'.
He said he got along with Theresa May 'very well', but suggested he might make time during his UK visit to speak with his friend Boris Johnson, who has just rocked her Government by resigning as foreign secretary.
It was 'up to the people' whether or not they want Mrs May to stay as Prime Minister, he added.
The tight security surrounding the visit will attempt to avoid exposing Mr Trump to planned protests in central London.
His schedule involves a black tie dinner at Blenheim Palace tonight with US and UK business leaders and cabinet ministers, hosted by Mrs May.
Ahead of his arrival the PM said she would use the visit to 'forge a strengthened, ambitious and future-proof trade partnership' with the US after Brexit.
Mrs May said there is 'no stronger alliance' than the special relationship between the two countries and 'there will be no alliance more important in the years ahead'.
Hailing the two countries 'uniquely close partnership in the fight for democracy and global security' she also pointed to our 'unrivalled' trade and investment relationship.
She added: 'This week we have an opportunity to deepen this unique trading relationship and begin discussions about how we will forge a strengthened, ambitious and future-proof trade partnership.'
Yesterday Buckingham Palace announced details of the President's meeting with Her Majesty.
The monarch will meet the American leader and First Lady Melania at a specially erected dais in the Quadrangle of the historic Berkshire royal residence on Friday afternoon.
A Guard of Honour, formed of the Coldstream Guards, will give a Royal Salute and the US national anthem will be played.
The Queen and Mr Trump will then inspect the Guard of Honour together, before watching a military march past.
The 1st battalion Coldstream Guards is one of the British Amy's longest serving units.
As well as an operational role, they also undertake a ceremonial role as The Queen's Guard, protecting the Royal Palaces.
Afterwards Mr and Mrs Trump will join the Queen for tea at the Castle in her private apartments. Given the opulence of their own residences, they are likely to marvel at the surprisingly frugal life the British sovereign leads.
No other members of the Royal Family will be involved in Friday's visit, something of a surprise compared to the welcome other major political leaders have received.
The presidents motorcade - including enormous 4x4 vehicles - is pictured on the tarmac at Prestwick
Tomorrow morning Mr Trump and Mrs May will view a mock counter-terror exercise involving special forces units from both countries.
The joint exercise, at a secret military location, will involve the demonstration of hi-tech equipment used by the SAS and their US counterparts in joint operations.
The two leaders will also meet US officer cadets who are embedded with the UK military for part of their training.
Separately, Melania Trump and Philip May are due to meet military veterans and schoolchildren at an undisclosed location.
Among the firms attending are representatives of Diageo, the drinks company, McClaren and Arup and from the US Blackstone group and BlackRock asset management.
After the special forces exercise tomorrow, the two leaders will travel to Chequers for the summit which will also be attended by Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary.
On the agenda will be Russia, trade, Brexit and the Middle East.
Barriers used to prevent terror attacks are also being set up to protect Donald Trump during his visit starting today
After tea with the Queen the President and his entourage will leave for Scotland, where he is expected to stay on one of his two golf courses.
One of the biggest ever police operations will be staged to cover Mr Trump's brief stay in the UK.
Nearly every force in England and Wales has contributed officers to help with the massive mobilisation, the biggest since the 2011 riots.
Thousands of officers will be on duty to cover the visit, during which President Trump is expected to visit locations including Blenheim Palace, Chequers, Windsor Castle, the US ambassador's official residence in Regent's Park, London, and Scotland.
When the Queen meets Mr Trump on Friday he will be the 12th US president she has met out of a possible 13, as she didn't meet President Johnson.
Yesterday the Mail revealed how Americans in Britain have been warned to 'keep a low profile' amid fears of violent demonstrations during the visit.
In an extraordinary alert, the US Embassy urged its citizens to be on their guard around 'large gatherings that may become violent' while the President is in the UK.
The unprecedented warning was issued as businesses were told to prepare for protests. They are expected to be the biggest since the Iraq War and organisers claim they could involve hundreds of thousands of people.
The Queen has received three other US Presidents at Windsor Castle since the 1980s - Barack Obama in 2016, George W Bush in 2008 and Ronald Reagan in 1982.
Buckingham Palace has not confirmed how the Trumps will arrive, but it is expected that they will come by helicopter in order to avoid any potential protests on the ground, landing the castle's grounds and being driven by car to meet the monarch.
Inside the London mansion where Trump will spend his first night: How US Ambassador's mansion was bought for a dollar, visited by the Queen and Diana and has second-largest private garden in the capital
Winfield House - the British residence of the US Ambassador - occupies twelve and a half acres on the north-west side of Regent's Park and has the second largest private garden in central London, after Buckingham Palace.
It was built by the famous American socialite Barbara Hutton in the 1930s. She was dubbed the 'poor little rich girl' because of her troubled life and lived there for a period with her husband Cary Grant.
The 35-room mansion replaced a John Nash building and was named after Hutton's grandfather Frank Winfield Woolworth, founder of the retail stores. It has been the US Ambassador's residence in London since 1955.
Huge crowds there to see President Trump gather outside Winfield House, the historic London residence that always houses the US Ambassador
The palatial manor house, pictured in 2015, was built by American socialite Barbara Hutton, who was married to Cary Grant between 1942 and 1945
Its 12 acre grounds means iit has econd largest private garden in central London - after Buckingham Palace
The house stands behind fifteen-foot high iron gates on land that was once part of a 'great forest, with wooded glades and lairs of wild beasts, deer both red and fallow, wild bulls and boars'.
Half a century before the Norman Conquest the land belonged to the Abbey of Barking.
Over the years, King Henry VIII hunted there, Queen Elizabeth I used it for entertaining dignitaries, King James I offered it as collateral to raise money to go to war and King Charles II had the whole area 'disparked' and opened to the public.
Winfield House is unique among American residences because it was originally a gift to the US Government.
It has since been showered with riches in the form of antique furniture, paintings, porcelain, china, glass, chandeliers, objets d'art – all the things that make it the beautiful house visitors see today.
The first to use the house as the ambassadorial residence was Winthrop Aldrich. Ambassador and Mrs Aldrich moved in on January 18, 1955 after a significant restoration had taken place.
When Ambassador Elliot Richardson arrived in 1975 his wife said, 'the house was absolutely wonderful. . . a joy to move into' and when Ambassador Anne Armstrong moved in in 1976 she said: 'I ran through the house like a kid, I'd never seen anything so beautiful. It was like fairyland and in such beautiful shape.'
Not only the Ambassadors, but other generous Americans contributed to the house, among them sugar baron Rionda Braga, who donated a bronze sculpture, 'The Creation of Adam' which stands in the garden to the right of the terrace.
Mr Braga felt that the statue's motif, two hands inside a globe, signified British and American friendship.
Ambassador John Louis brought a platform tennis court and while her was at Winfield House – from 1981 to 1983- Cary Grant visited it for the first time after the Second World War and the breakdown of his marriage.
Tears streamed down his face as he looked across the lawns from the Garden Room because of its beauty and thinking about his ex-wife Barbara Hutton.
The house was built in the 1930s and has been home to US Ambassador since 1955 and visited by most US Presidents since then, including President Obama
Today Winfield House continues the tradition of receiving a host of distinguished guests.
Over the years these have included the Queen and other members of the royal family, and many other prominent figures in business, politics, diplomacy, banking, the armed services, education and the arts.
The late Princess Diana once brought Princes William and Harry to see the presidential helicopter Marine One parked on the lawn, as it was today with President Trump.
Visiting US presidents traditionally stay at the residence, watched over by portraits of their predecessors, some of whom served as both President of the United States and U.S. envoys to London.
President George Bush met President Mikhail Gorbachev there during the 1991 G-7 Summit.
President Reagan was a frequent visitor. More recently, Senator George Mitchell hosted participants in the Northern Ireland Peace Process at Winfield House during his review of the Good Friday agreement in November 1999.
President Obama also stayed there and hosted a reception for the Queen and Prince Philip.
The Beast comes to Britain: Inside the £1.5million bomb-proof limousine which will ferry Donald Trump around the UK
Donald Trump will be ferried around the UK in a £1.5million bomb-proof vehicle affectionately-known as 'The Beast'.
In fact, security concerns mean the US President has two of the stretched, armour-plated vehicles in Britain so would-be attackers don't know which one he is in.
The Beast is a seven-seat black limousine which is designed to give Mr Trump the ultimate protection.
Donald Trump's bomb proof limo has been designed to survive a military-style or chemical warfare attack
One of the President's 'Beast' limousine's took him to this morning Nato meeting in Brussels
Trump flew into Stansted with his First Lady Melania on a converted Boeing 747 this afternoonIt can be turned into a sealed panic room with oxygen tanks, night-vision camera and reinforced steel plating said to be able to resist bullets, chemical attacks and bombs.
The Cadillac has Kevlar-reinforced tyres and steel rims that can keep the vehicle moving even if the tyres have been destroyed.
Bottles of the president's blood type are carried on board in case of a medical emergency, and a satellite phone enables communication to be maintained from anywhere in the world.
As well as being able to defend the president, the car also features a host of attacking capabilities, such as a pump-action shotgun and a tear gas cannon.
The two 'Beasts' are among and huge motorcade of vehicles flown into Britain on two United States Air Force Boeing C-17 transport planes ahead of Trump's visit.
A motorcade of Chevrolet and Ford surveillance and satellite communication vehicles were also on the planes which landed in Glasgow's Prestwick Airport yesterday.
He was transferred to central London by one of his Marine One helicopters upon arrival
Other staff travel in futuristic Osprey aircraft as used by the US Marine Corps
Despite the expense of bringing the vehicles to Britain, Trump will make many of his trips around the UK in helicopters.
A number of presidential helicopters, either VH-3D Sea Kings or VH-60N White Hawks - which are known as Marine One when the president is on board - are also brought on overseas trips.
The Marine One helicopter is fitted with communications equipment, anti-missile defences and hardened hulls.
Staff and security personnel are ferried around in MV-22 Ospreys and CH-46s.
The US leader was flown into Stansted today on a specially modified Boeing 747-200s.
The luxurious aircraft, carrying the tail codes 28000 and 29000, are highly customised and can act as a mobile command centre in the event of an attack on the United States.
The words 'United States of America', the Seal of the President of the United States and the American flag are all visible on the outside of the plane, making it instantly recognisable.
The aircraft has 4,000 square feet of floor space, including a Presidential suite with a large office and conference room, a medical suite that can be used as an operating room and two food preparation galleys that can feed 100 people at a time.
Overseas trips see additional staff and security flown over on an Air Force C-32, which is a modified Boeing 757.
Staff typically involved in an overseas trip include Secret Service post-standers, military communications specialists and White House aides.
The president has at his side at all times a White House doctor and one of five rotating military aides who carry the nuclear 'football' - equipped with communication tools and a book with prepared war plans.
There is always a group of 13 members of the press on such visits, including three wire reporters, two print reporters, four photographers, a three-person television crew, and a radio reporter.
'Prisoners get better accommodation': British police drafted in to protect Trump moan about being forced to sleep in a sports centre with 300 stretcher beds, cold showers and no phone chargers
Police officers drafted in to handle Donald Trump's visit to the UK have hit out at the 'disaster zone' accommodation in which they've been put up.
Up to 10,000 police officers have been drafted in to protect the US President from mass protests and the threat of a terror attack when he visits Britain today.
But pictures posted by police online show some have been given camp beds in a gym hall in Essex while others have groundsheets placed on the floor of a squash court.
Police drafted in to protect Donald Trump during his trip to London have been put up in this sports hall, with around 300 camp beds crammed in
Photos of the spartan sleeping arrangements were shared by John Apter, Chairman of the Hampshire Police Federation, which represents some of the rank and file officers brought from the south coast.
He tweeted: 'Prisoners arrested last night will have had better accommodation than those police officers ensuring the Presidential visit runs smoothly.
'Police chiefs who talk well-being of their people need to take a long hard look at this. This is not acceptable.'
It is said around 300 officers are staying in the gym, with some complaining of freezing cold showers.
One twitter account said to that of an officer from Manchester said police couldn't charge their phones and were still sorting beds late into the evening.
The National Police Chiefs Council said: 'Some of the accommodation pictured today for officers supporting the major operation for the US Presidential visit is not acceptable and below the standard of other accommodation for this operation. Essex Police is working at speed to resolve the issues for the affected officers.'
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, said: 'The conditions some West Midlands Police officers are being forced to endure is an absolute disgrace.
'No officer should be made to sleep on a camp bed, inches from the floor, in a sports hall with scores of colleagues only metres apart after a 12 hour shift.
'Some female officers are even having to sleep in squash courts.
'These officers are in the South East to keep the President of the United States safe. They aren't asking for luxury accommodation, but the least we can do is put them up in a room with a proper bed.'
Not all of the officers brought in were unhappy with their accomodation
Responding to the pictures, another policeman said: 'Absolute disgrace! The first picture looks like we've been displaced after a natural disaster, and the second! Sleeping on a gym floor! The organisers should hang their heads in shame, once they get out of their nice comfy beds!'
It comes after chief constables around the UK cancelled rest days and told officers to prepare for being shipped hundreds of miles from home, under what has been codenamed Operation Manifold.
Nearly every force in England and Wales has contributed officers to help with the massive mobilisation, the biggest since the 2011 riots.
It is understood that other police officers being put up in places where the president is staying have been given hotel rooms, although the quality of accommodation is not the same for all.
Hundreds of riot vans full of PCs will take to the streets today, tomorrow and to stop planned rallies and marches turning violent – particularly when they clash with supporters of the controversial US president.
President Trump flies in this lunchtime and will meet staff at the US ambassador's residence in London before a business dinner at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.
The President will meet the Queen at Windsor Castle tomorrow before heading off to Scotland for a weekend of golf.
Ahead of Trump arrival today, the presidential motorcade arrived at Prestwick Airport in South Ayshire.
Two enormous US Air Force Boeing C17 Globemaster aircraft were spotted on the tarmac before several black Secret Service 4x4s took to the road with a police escort.
Security barriers have been thrown up around the US Ambassador's residence while security teams in special Osprey aircraft have been seen practicing security procedures in the skies over London.
Donald, meet the C-Men! Elite armed (and masked) Met police officers show off their arsenal at Stansted Airport after being drafted in to help protect Trump on visit to Britain
Elite firearms officers displayed an impressive array of weapons as they welcomed Donald Trump to the UK today.
As the US president touched down on English soil, armed police in bulletproof vests walked out onto Stansted Airport's tarmac.
The specially trained security detail is tasked with ensuring Trump's safety on his first official visit to the UK and will work with US counterparts.
The graphic shows the arsenal of the masked security detail that met Donald Trump on the tarmac today
Armed police in identical uniforms act as security detail to Donald Trump, who will be guarded throughout his visit to the UK
Security will accompany the Republican as he travels across the country and this afternoon officers carrying air rifles and self-loading Glock guns welcomed him, The Sun reports.
Wearing identical blue uniforms, each carried two guns, a taser and extra ammunition along with a first aid kit.
Their lightweight SIG MCX Carbine assault rifles boast 16-inch barrels with a short-stroke gas piston system. The Glocks are most deadly at 10 to 25 metres, but have a range of 50 metres.
Masked men greeted Trump at the airport as he prepares to tour the UK under heavy security in the coming days
The £30million security operation has drafted officers from every police force in the country. Some have complained about the accommodation offered during their secondment.
Hampshire Police Federation chairman John Apter shared pictures of a cramped gym in which dozens of officers are expected to sleep on camp beds.
He tweeted: 'Prisoners arrested last night will have had better accommodation than those police officers ensuring the Presidential visit runs smoothly.
'Police Chiefs who talk well-being of their people need to take a long hard look at this. This is not acceptable.'
The Donald arrives for four-day red carpet visit: Trump and Melania set foot on UK soil for first time as President and First Lady - as he gives 'very complimentary speech on England' to Embassy staff
Enough news articles The Donald arrives for four-day red carpet visit: Trump and Melania set foot on UK soil for first time as President and First Lady - as he gives 'very complimentary speech on England' to Embassy staff this time, hopefully can benefit for you all. Well, see you in other article postings.
The Donald arrives for four-day red carpet visit: Trump and Melania set foot on UK soil for first time as President and First Lady - as he gives 'very complimentary speech on England' to Embassy staff
You are now reading the article The Donald arrives for four-day red carpet visit: Trump and Melania set foot on UK soil for first time as President and First Lady - as he gives 'very complimentary speech on England' to Embassy staff with the link address https://randomfindtruth.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-donald-arrives-for-four-day-red.html