Back in February, we saw Prime Minister Keir Starmer head to the White House for a televised meeting with President Donald Trump, complete with a royal letter in hand written by none other than King Charles – offering Trump an ‘unprecedented’ second state visit to the United Kingdom.
Basically, the state visit will be a trip during which the red carpet will be rolled out and royal fanfare will be well and truly on display, to strengthen relations between the two countries and in the hopes of buttering up Trump on key political issues (of which the Russia-Ukraine war is one and Trump’s apparent ‘threats’ to make Canada the ’51st state’).
King Charles, who is Canada’s Head of State, is also known to be a passionate climate change activist and environmentalist, so that could also be a hot topic for discussion, especially given the recent extreme weather changes the UK is witnessing.
Now, some five months after Starmer’s visit, the Royal Family have officially announced the dates on which they’re set to welcome Trump and his wife, Melania, the First Lady. And the news has… not been well received.
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Alongside a photo of King Charles, Queen Camilla, Trump and Melania, an Instagram image reads, “His Majesty The King will host The President of the United States of America, Donald J Trump, accompanied by the First Lady, Melania Trump, for a State Visit to the UK, from Wednesday 17th September to Friday 19th September 2025”.
An accompanying caption states: “The President of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump, accompanied by the First Lady Mrs. Melania Trump, will be hosted by His Majesty The King for a State Visit to the United Kingdom from 17th September to 19th September 2025.”
The comments in response, so far, seem to be very unenthusiastic about the visit (as a reminder, Trump’s previous state visit during his first term as President resulted in the the now-iconic ‘Trump Baby Blimp’ being flown in London in protest against his alleged sexual misconduct, accusations of corruption and controversial policies).
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One comment, which has received over 4,000 likes in support in the space of two hours, reads, “Bad idea, Charles. Still time to cancel.”
A second with ample support adds, “Wow… that shouldn’t be happening. We shouldn’t be legitimising the Trump Regime, or giving him a podium here.”
While a third, seemingly from an American, says, “You can keep him if you like, us folks in the US would appreciate that 🇺🇸.”
However, a few more positive comments featured in the mix too (albeit few and far between). One simply said, “Welcome back to the UK Mr President.”
A recent YouGov report found that just 16% of UK residents said they ‘like’ Trump, a figure unchanged from the previous quarter of the year, while 70% actively ‘dislike’ Trump. Over in the US, polls show Trump has an approval rating of 42% with Americans.
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK’s multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She’s grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.