From pageantry to politics: Key takeaways as Trump leaves UK after unprecedented second state visit
Donald Trump has concluded a pomp-filled second state visit to the UK, avoiding the extreme controversy predicted by some pundits.
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The US President flew out of Stansted on Thursday night to complete a busy stay, which ended with a press conference alongside Sir Keir Starmer at Chequers, the prime minister's country retreat.
Mr Trump also met the King and Queen, enjoying a state banquet at Windsor Castle on Wednesday - which did not involve the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, who Mr Trump has since called the "worst in the world".
Beyond the pomp and grandstanding, a £150 billion tech deal was agreed upon, an investment which could bring 7,600 jobs to Britain.
Here the key takeaways from this historic trip.
Vladimir Putin has "really let him down"
The war in Ukraine was a key discussion point during the visit, as diplomatic attempts to end the conflict continue to flounder.
Starmer said both countries are working to put pressure on the Russian president to agree to a Ukraine peace deal.
Asked by a reporter whether it was a mistake to invite Putin to the table and if he regrets it, Mr Trump replied: “No.” He explained: “Very simply, if the price of oil comes down, Putin is going to drop out.
The US president suggested he had initially thought the war, which he previously claimed he could end within one day of entering the White House, would have been “the easiest” conflict to settle.
Asked during his state visit to the UK on Thursday whether negotiations had run out of road, the US president said people were “being killed and I feel I have an obligation to get it settled for that reason.”
Mr Trump said: “I’m very honoured to tell you that we’ve solved seven wars, seven wars, wars that were unsolvable, wars that couldn’t be negotiated or done, the US has done seven of them.“
Yet this visit failed to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, all discussions on a ceasefire in Ukraine ultimately ended without a deal being made.
Read More: NATO forces cannot play any peacekeeping role in Ukraine, says Russian ambassador
Read More: Trump admits Putin 'really let me down' as peace talks over Ukraine conflict stall
Peter Mandelson? "I don't know him"
In the lead up to the President's visit there had been significant concerns that the recent sacking of Lord Mandelson would could cast an awkward shadow over diplomatic proceedings.
But when asked about Lord Mandelson's links to the paedophile Jefferey Epstein, Mr Trump appeared to shake off the question and passed it swiftly over to the PM.
“I don’t know him actually, I had heard that, and I think maybe the Prime Minister would be better speaking of that. It was a choice that he made and I don’t know.” said Mr Trump.
But there are photos of Trump and Mandelson together, including in the Oval Office on 8 May this year at the announcement of the US-UK trade agreement.
Lord Mandelson recalled this meeting with Trump saying: “When I first walked into the Oval room, he [Trump] said ‘God, you’re a good-looking fellow, aren’t you”.
Read More: Starmer did not know depth of Mandelson's ties to Epstein, says Labour minister
Trump thinks crackdown on Channel migrants could be done by UK military
Illegal migration sits at the top of both UK and US domestic agendas and the American President didn't miss an opportunity to give some strong worded advice to Sir Keir on the issue.
Speaking during a joint press conference at Chequers, Mr Trump said illegal migration could “destroy” countries.
He compared Britain's small boats crisis to the influx of migrants in the US and advised the UK to take note of the mass deportation raids being carried out in the United States.
Mr Trump said: “I think your situation is very similar. You have people coming in and I told the Prime Minister I would stop it, and it doesn’t matter if you call out the military, it doesn’t matter what means you use.
Sir Keir pointed to steps his government has made in recent weeks to tackle the crisis, including the first return under the one-in, one-out deal with France, which took place on Thursday morning
Trump and Starmer cannot agree over Palestinian statehood
The war in Gaza is another conflict that the US president has not quite managed to resolve and was set to be an area of contention during the visit.
Both leaders agree that all the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza must be released, fighting stopped in the Gaza Strip, and aid allowed in.
However, the US President did not agree with Sir Keir's stance on Palestinian statehood recognition. When asked about the issue Mr Trump said: "I have a disagreement with the Prime Minister on that score, one of our few disagreements, actually."
The leaders said they were working hard to bring peace and stability to the region: "It's complex but it's going to get done, and get done right," Trump said
Keir Starmer will reportedly recognise a Palestinian state over the weekend now that the Donald Trump visit has concluded.
The state of Palestine is already recognised by 147 of the UN’s 193 member states.
Read More: Netanyahu rejects Gaza ceasefire and vows to target Hamas leaders abroad
Read More: UN Commission says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza
