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<\/p>\nThe first day of President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK ended with a banquet and a toast. Now, the two countries are getting down to business.<\/p>\n
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Trump ends UK trip with remarks on Gaza, TikTok and immigration<\/p>\n
Trump ends UK visit with remarks on Gaza, TikTok, Putin and immigration, urging Starmer to adopt his border policies.<\/p>\n
Concluding his\u00a0three-day state visit to the United Kingdom<\/a>, President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0faced pointed questions about developments at home despite his visit abroad.<\/p>\n Back in the U.S.A. while Trump had spent the week being feted by British royalty<\/a>: ABC confirmed it\u00a0indefinitely pulled comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show<\/a>, the left mounted criticism over the Trump administration\u2019s actions targeting speech<\/a>, a looming\u00a0possible government shutdown<\/a>, and the ongoing controversy over Trump\u2019s past ties to Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most of those items came up at Trump\u2019s news conference with Keir Starmer at Chequers, the official country retreat of British prime ministers.<\/p>\n \u201cJimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings, more than anything else, and he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk,\u201d Trump said in his first public comments about Kimmel\u2019s show being\u00a0indefintely postponed<\/a>.<\/p>\n ABC’s shakeup came amid pressure from Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr over comments Kimmel made regarding the\u00a0assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk<\/a>.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Is hate speech free speech? What to know after Charlie Kirk’s death<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The U.S. president had cheered ABC for \u201cfinally having the courage to do what had to be done\u201d in a late-night Sept. 17 post on Truth Social that also called for NBC to cancel late-night shows of comedians Seth Myers and Jimmy Fallon. \u201cDo it NBC!!!\u201d Trump wrote.<\/p>\n The indefinite canceling of Kimmel\u2019s show \u2013 combined with threats from the Trump officials to \u201cgo after\u201d left-leaning organizations they say have incited violence \u2013 has\u00a0alarmed Democrats and First Amendment advocates<\/a>\u00a0over free speech concerns in the wake of Kirk\u2019s fatal shooting.<\/p>\n When Trump returns to the United States, he also faces a\u00a0possible federal government shutdown<\/a>\u00a0on Oct. 1 if Congress does not pass legislation to fund the government. House Republicans proposed a stopgap funding bill to keep the government funded through Nov. 21, but Democrats are pushing policy demands such as extending healthcare subsidies that are set to expire.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s\u00a0the Epstein controversy<\/a>, which has followed Trump to England on his brief trip. As the president met with the royal family and Starmer, protesters gathered in parts of England to highlight his past friendship with Epstein. It comes as the Trump administration has refused to release all files in the government\u2019s investigation into the disgraced financier and sex offender.\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump says U.S. trying to ‘get back’ Bagram airbase in Afghanistan<\/strong><\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> says the U.S. is trying regain control of Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n The United States and its allies left the military base in July of 2021 ahead of the complete withdrawal of American troops from the country and the official end to the war in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n “We’re trying to get it back, by the way,” Trump said at the Chequers news conference in the U.K. “We’re trying to get it back, because they need things from us. We want that base back. But one of the reasons we want the base, is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”<\/p>\n The Department of Defense directed an inquiry about the statement to the White House. – Francesca Chambers<\/p>\n What is an autopen?<\/strong><\/p>\n President Trump was asked to provide an update on the investigation related to the use of an autopen by former President Joe Biden during a press conference with U.K. Prime Minister Kier Starmer on Sept. 18.<\/p>\n The Justice Department is examining pardons issued by Biden\u00a0in the final days of his presidency, and a separate investigation by the House Oversight Committee into the former president\u2019s cognitive health and use of autopen is also underway.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just gotten worse from their standpoint,\u201d said Trump, adding that one person, in particular, was never told by Biden to use it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe auto pen was illegal. It was illegally used. He never gave the orders. He never told them what to do, and I guess the only one he signed or one of the few he signed was the pardon for his son,\u201d said Trump, referring to the Dec.1 pardon of Hunter Biden,\u00a0who had pleaded guilty to tax violations and was convicted on firearms-related charges.<\/p>\n Presidential use of the autopen has not been outlawed or ruled unconstitutional. And Trump himself has acknowledged allowing his staff to use it to sign letters on his behalf. – Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy<\/p>\n Trump dodges on UK ambassador firing over Epstein ties<\/strong><\/p>\n The UK fired Peter Mandelson as its ambassador to the United States just ahead of the state visit over the diplomat’s defense<\/a> of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in recently unearthed correspondence.<\/p>\n Asked if he feels any sympathy for him, Trump said he doesn\u2019t know Mandelson, and the firing was \u201ca choice\u201d that Starmer made.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is your answer to that,\u201d Trump asked his counterpart.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>He offered to help Jeffrey Epstein fight sex abuse charges. Why UK ambassador was fired<\/a><\/p>\n Starmer replied, \u201cWell, I mean, it\u2019s very straightforward. Some information came to light last week that wasn\u2019t available when he was appointed, and I made a decision about that.<\/p>\n \u201cVery clear,\u201d Starmer said, as he pivoted to Russia.<\/p>\n A lewd birthday note<\/a> that allegedly bears Trump\u2019s signature, and he denies writing, was part of the records U.S. lawmakers obtained from Epstein\u2019s estate. – Francesca Chambers<\/p>\n Trump says Kimmel should have been fired \u2018a long time ago\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n President Trump said Kimmel was fired over his \u201clack of talent,\u201d pushing back at concerns about the state of free speech in the United States after ABC canceled the comedian\u2019s late-night television show following pressure from the Federal Communications Commission.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Was Jimmy Kimmel fired? Here’s the status after ABC ‘pre-empts’ late-night talk show<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cJimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings, more than anything else, and he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk,\u201d Trump said in his first public comments about Kimmel\u2019s show being indefinitely postponed.<\/p>\n \u201cJimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago,” the president continued, adding: \u201cYou can call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent.\u201d – Joey Garrison<\/p>\n What 7 wars has Trump ended?<\/strong><\/p>\n President Trump during the news conference again made the claim to have ended seven wars<\/a> while in office.<\/p>\n Since January, the United States has been involved in five ceasefires or peace agreements, USA TODAY has reported. Those conflicts include: Armenia and Azerbaijan<\/a>; the Democratic Republic of Congo<\/a> and Rwanda; Iran and Israel<\/a>; India and Pakistan<\/a>, and Cambodia and Thailand<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Trump says he will talk to Putin ‘soon’ after massive Russian air assault in Ukraine<\/a><\/p>\n Trump also appears to be referring to two conflicts dating to his first term. Though Serbia and Kosovo agreed to economic normalization, no peace deal has been signed. There’s also Ethiopia and Egypt, which are not at war but have unresolved tense relations. – Zach Schermele<\/p>\n When will President Trump and Melania come home?<\/strong><\/p>\n The president and first lady are set to depart from London around 5 p.m. local time on Sept. 18. They’re expected to arrive back in Washington at 8 pm ET.\u00a0– Zach Schermele<\/p>\n Trump says he hopes to finalize TikTok deal on Friday to US investors<\/strong><\/p>\n Trump said he hopes to finalize the sale of TikTok\u2019s U.S. operations<\/a> to a U.S. company when he speaks to Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be owned by all American investors. And you know, the best investors and very rich people and companies are going to be owning it,\u201d Trump said. \u201cVery legitimate companies.\u201d<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Trump hints at TikTok deal, says young people ‘will be very happy’<\/a><\/p>\n Trump earlier this week said he reached a preliminary TikTok deal.<\/p>\n U.S. officials have expressed concerns that TikTok poses a national security threat, believing ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company based in Beijing, is sharing U.S. user data with China. TikTok has repeatedly denied these claims. – Joey Garrison\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump says Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine \u2018doesn\u2019t affect\u2019 the U.S.<\/strong><\/p>\n Unless the fighting in Ukraine spreads beyond the eastern European country\u2019s borders, President Trump says he does not believe Russia\u2019s assault on the sovereign nation affects the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t affect the United States\u2026other than unless you end up in a world war over this thing, you could,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n Trump said earlier in the news conference that Russian President Vladimir Putin had let him down and again claimed Putin wouldn\u2019t have launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 had he been in office. \u2013 Francesca Chambers<\/p>\n Who is British Prime Minister Keir Starmer?<\/strong><\/p>\n Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, 63, was a lawyer before he became leader of the now-governing Labour Party in 2020. He is known for being temperamentally methodical, for his professionalism and for his grasp of policy detail. British media often describe him as a tad boring and colorless because he has a flat, nasal vocal delivery.<\/p>\n Starmer was awarded a knighthood in 2014 for his work as a human rights prosecutor, so he’s technically a “Sir” – Sir Keir Starmer. In that role, he worked on high-profile cases in Britain, including that of Stephen Lawrence, a Black teenager who was murdered in a racially motivated attack in London in 1993 while he was waiting for a bus.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Trump heads to Scotland for golf resort visits, Keir Starmer meeting<\/a><\/p>\n Starmer was born Britain’s capital and often says he had a typically average upbringing in a lower-middle-class family. His father made tools and his mother was a nurse who developed a rare autoimmune condition when her son was 11 that led to her limbs being amputated.<\/p>\n Starmer is married and has two teenage children. He studied law, first at the University of Leeds, then the University of Oxford. He’s a fan of Arsenal, a Premier League soccer team. – Kim Hjelmgaard\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump warns UK illegal migration \u2018destroys countries from within\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Trump, standing alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the joint news conference, advised the United Kingdom to adopt his administration\u2019s efforts to combat illegal immigration, warning that it \u201cdestroys countries from within.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump recounted a conversation he had with Starmer on the matter.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Is ICE chilling Chicago? Trump ‘blitz’ draws rage from immigrant groups<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think your situation is very similar,\u201d Trump said in response to a question from a reporter. \u201cYou have people coming. I told the prime minister, ‘I would stop it.’ And it doesn\u2019t matter if you call out the military. It doesn\u2019t matter what means you use, but it\u2019s going to destroy. It destroys countries from within.\u201d – Joey Garrison<\/p>\n Melania Trump<\/a>\u2019s sartorial choices send fashionista tongues wagging<\/strong><\/p>\n For her lavish banquet at Windsor Castle during her second U.K. state visit, first lady Melania Trump wore a bright yellow floor-length off-shoulder dress with a lilac belt designed by Carolina Herrera.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Melania Trump wears wide-brim hat that covers her eyes to UK state visit<\/a><\/p>\n To some she looked resplendent, to others she recalled a banana. Some deemed it perfect, others thought it was too casual. Melania Trump paired the dress with long emerald earrings.<\/p>\n On Sept.18, as she toured the Royal Library at Windsor Castle with Queen Camilla, the first lady wore a caramel brown leather skirt suit by Louis Vuitton.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Trump praises Princess Kate at UK state dinner: ‘So radiant and so healthy’<\/a><\/p>\n For her outing with Princess Catherine for a tour of Frogmore Gardens, the first lady wore a brown leather belted jacket by Ralph Lauren with cream ankle-length pants and ballet flats. – Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy<\/p>\n Trump on Gaza: ‘I want the hostages released now. Right now.’<\/strong><\/p>\n Amid reports that the UK will soon recognize a Palestinian state, Trump once again urged Hamas to release their hostages in Gaza.<\/p>\n “Right now,” Trump said. “I want an end.”\u00a0<\/p>\n He said he had a “disagreement” with the Starmer on Palestinian autonomy \u2013 “one of our few disagreements.”<\/p>\n British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought to downplay the disagreement, saying the two long-time allies \u201cabsolutely agree on the need for peace and a roadmap\u201d in Gaza because the situation is \u201cintolerable\u201d and humanitarian aid must be allowed in.- Zach Schermele and Francesca Chambers<\/p>\n Trump on Putin: \u2018He\u2019s really let me down\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n President Donald Trump said he believed that Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine<\/a> would be the easiest global conflict for him to resolve because of his past relationship with Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n \u201cBut he\u2019s let me down. He\u2019s really let me down,\u201d Trump said of the Russian leader, who he met with last month in Alaska<\/a>.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>From no deal to Putin’s deal? A flummoxing summit, a Trump flip<\/a><\/p>\n Trump said he\u2019s still settle that war and the \u201ccomplex\u201d conflict between Israel and Hamas.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to get done, and it will all get done right. And likewise, Russia and Ukraine, will get done,\u201d Trump said. \u2013 Francesca Chambers<\/p>\n Trump: Charlie Kirk could have been president one day<\/strong><\/p>\n Trump brought up the assassination last week of Charlie Kirk<\/a> in his opening remarks at the joint press conference, saying the 31-year-old conservative activist was killed \u201cfor speaking his mind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe was a great young man,\u201d Trump said. \u201cIncredible future. Some people said he might be president someday. I told him, I said, \u2018Charlie, I think you have a shot someday of being president.’\u201d<\/p>\n Trump thanked British citizens who have offered their condolences on Kirk\u2019s death. Trump is set to attend Kirk\u2019s memorial service in Arizona <\/a>on Sunday. – Joey Garrison\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018Long journey together\u2019: Starmer says UK to celebrate the USA’s 250<\/strong>th<\/strong> birthday<\/strong><\/p>\n Starmer singled out next year\u2019s 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, when in 1776 the U.S. declared its independence from Great Britain.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. President, next year, we\u2019ll celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States. We\u2019ve come on a long journey together,\u201d the prime minister said.<\/p>\n He touted the \u201cpartnership our two nations have built\u201d over the past 250 years. \u201cTime and time again, it is British and American men and women, side by side, changing the path of history,\u201d Starmer added.<\/p>\n Trump has planned a yearlong celebration in 2026 marking the country\u2019s 250th anniversary. – Joey Garrison<\/p>\n British PM hails \u2018special relationship for a new era\u2019 with US<\/strong><\/p>\n British Prime Minister Keir Starmer kicked off the joint news conference with Trump, hailing a \u201cspecial relationship for a new era\u201d between the United States and Great Britain.<\/p>\n Starmer touted a new U.S-British agreement on investments in science and technology that Trump and Starmer signed earlier in the day.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the groundbreaking agreement that we\u2019ve just signed this afternoon, we\u2019re confirming our status as the first partners in science and technology, ready to define this century together,\u201d Starmer said.\u00a0– Joey Garrison<\/p>\n The first day<\/a> of President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK ended with a banquet and a toast<\/a> to America’s prosperity. Now, the two countries are getting down to business<\/a>.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hosting Trump at his Chequers country estate for a private discussion, before they play up commercial investments from Fortune 500 companies<\/a> at a business reception and take questions from the media at a joint news conference.<\/p>\n U.S. officials declined to say ahead of the meeting what Trump and Starmer would discuss but the leaders have exchanged views on the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine during previous talks<\/a>. Starmer is helping to organize a coalition of nations to defend Ukraine against future Russian attacks while Trump takes the lead on peace negotiations.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Litigation not on the menu as Trump, Rupert Murdoch dine at Windsor Castle<\/a><\/p>\n The allied countries are at odds, however, over Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas. Starmer has said<\/a> the UK will join France and other nations in recognizing a Palestinian state at a United Nations gathering next week, if Israel does agree to a ceasefire and improve humanitarian conditions. The United States has sharply criticized<\/a> the underlying resolution and said it is hurting diplomatic efforts to end the war.<\/p>\n So far, Trump’s visit has been heavy on pagentry<\/a> and light on policy, with a trade deal between the two countries already agreed upon. The two leaders were expected to sign agreements involving technology and nuclear partnerships<\/a>.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Trump\u2019s visit to England sparks classic question \u2013 how tall is Donald Trump?<\/a><\/p>\n The British government said the countries had agreed to a package of $341 billion in commercial investments that would lead to a combined 7,600 high-quality jobs markets. – Francesca Chambers<\/p>\n What is Chequers?<\/strong><\/p>\n President Donald Trump is meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers, a 1,500-acre, 16th-century manor house and estate about 30 miles northwest of London. Chequers is the official country retreat of British prime ministers – the Camp David of Britain if you like.<\/p>\n And like its American counterpart, Chequers has hosted many historic and famous meetings. During World War II, Winston Churchill conducted war-related business long into the night at Chequers, often punctuated by a movie or large dinner. Churchill was also at Chequers when he heard Japan’s navy had attacked the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States into the war.<\/p>\n More recently, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Chequers. And in 2018, former Prime Minister Theresa May was at Chequers when she finalized her plan for Brexit – Britain’s exit from the European Union, though it was her successor, Boris Johnson, who got the plan approved by Britain’s Parliament.<\/p>\n Starmer will give Trump a tour of Churchill’s archive at Chequers, which is where he wrote and broadcast many of his wartime speeches. Historians say Churchhill composed many of them while propped up in bed or pacing the estate’s garden. – Kim Hjelmgaard<\/p>\n First Lady Melania Trump tours Royal Library and Frogmore Gardens<\/strong><\/p>\n First lady Melania Trump began the second day of the U.K. visit with a tour of the Royal Library in Windsor \u00a0with Queen Camilla.The library included a display table of miniature books made especially for the Queen Mary doll house. It included books such as \u201cHow Watson Learned the Trick\u201d by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and \u201cWinnie the Pooh\u201d by A.A. Milne, both published in 1922.<\/p>\n The pair then met with six schoolchildren who were writing and drawing pictures of animals.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need to have very small writing to fit on a very small book,\u201d the first lady told one child.After that, the first lady joined Princess Catherine for a tour of Frogmore Gardens and a visit with a Scouts division of \u201cSquirrels\u201d for children ages 4 to 6.The children sat at two activity tables putting ink on leaves and pressing them on paper.As she interacted with the children there, one child asked the first lady what her favorite bug was, she replied, \u201cA ladybug.\u201d – Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy<\/p>\n Trump’s accommodations were fit for a king: the president and first lady Melania Trump were overnight guests of King Charles and Queen Camilla\u00a0at Windsor Castle.<\/p>\n The British royals held a lavish banquet for the Trumps attended by high-profile executives, including media mogul Rupert Murdoch.<\/a><\/p>\n In his remarks, Trump said he and King Charles shook \u201cabout 150 hands” before the dinner. The president called his unprecedented, second state visit “one of the highest honors of my life.”<\/p>\n Offering a toast to the Trumps, King Charles said it was a celebration of an “unparalleled partnership” between the two nations and wished “health, prosperity and happiness of the people of the United States of America.\u201d – Francesca Chambers<\/p>\n CEOs from some of the nation’s top businesses are flocking to the United Kingdom<\/a> for a roundtable and reception Starmer is putting on for Trump on the final day of his state visit.<\/a><\/p>\n The CEOs expected to attend ranged from tech leaders to money managers and includes Apple’s Tim Cook, NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang,<\/a> Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Citigroup’s Jane Fraser, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Lockheed Martin’s Jim Taiclet, Nucor Steel’s Leon Topalian, Salesforce’s Marc Benioff and Bank of America’s Brian Moynihan, according to a list obtained by USA TODAY.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Britain deploys gilded pomp and pageantry for Trump charm offensive<\/a><\/p>\n