BBC Pidgin of Tuesday, 16 September 2025

Source: BBC

Five tins to look out for as Trump visit UK

Members of di Guard of Honour rehearse di ceremonial welcome Members of di Guard of Honour rehearse di ceremonial welcome

US President Donald Trump state visit to di United Kingdom dis week, no be new tin, just as im first time six years ago.

Back den, for June 2019, e drink tea wit di late Queen, di US President call London Mayor Sadiq Khan "stone-cold loser", e back Boris Johnson for di Tory leadership race and suggest say NHS suppose be part of US-UK trade toks.

All dis na afta one petition, tok say make e no receive state visit in di UK, more dan one million pipo sign am, as well as noisy protests involving thousands and huge inflatable effigy wey pipo sabi as di Trump Baby.

Dis week second state visit – na unprecedented for non-royal.

Anoda protest fit dey again and Lord Mandelson wey dey serve as UK ambassador to di US don already cause concerns ova proceedings.

Planning for di visit - ova Wednesday and Thursday - don dey go on for months, but for all di careful preparation, di possibility say tins fit go wrong still dey very real.

And for many of pipo wey dey organise am, di Mandelson affair na only one of dia worries.

How Windsor become 'Trumpton'

For dos wey dey di royal end of di show, di focus dey on logistics and security - and turning Windsor Castle into ring of steel hard enough to satisfy even di most hard to please secret service agents.

For Palace officials, attention to detail dey important.

One of di biggest problems na to find place to muster di Household Cavalry.

E need to dey far enough from di helicopter landing zones to ensure di horses no dey fear di noise, close enough to form di escort quickly wey go accompany di Trumps carriage procession through di grounds of Windsor Castle.

Discussion dey between di Palace and Foreign Office ova who dey sit wia for di State Banquet for St George Hall.

"Di value of dis tins no be just di photo opportunities but also all di off-grid conversations," one royal insider tok.

"Big attention dey go into di seating plan for di banquet. So pipo wit certain policy areas go sit next to one anoda."

'Pressure to make dis big'

So far, so good logistical – but di key challenge for royal organisers na to find way of ensuring say Trump feel dem don give am full state visit. No be easy task.

Di president dey on di ground for less dan 48 hours and e no go visit Downing Street, address Parliament or even find time to play golf.

"Large amount of govment pressure don dey make am dis big and dat na di challenge," one courtier tell me.

Di scale of di ceremonial for Windsor don step up, wit 1,300 troops and 120 horses wey dey involve - far more than di one wey dem use wen President Macron of France visit earlier dis year.

One Whitehall source say: "Di focus dey very much on di optics, di historic moment, di pomp. For Trump na all about TV and dis na great TV."

Anoda tok say: "Na theatre. Na all show. E no be like say dem go do deep substance. We dey wit di most powerful guy in di world for good reason."

Di Trumps: Warm and solicitous guests

Lord McDonald, former top civil servant in di Foreign Office, tok say di UK strategic choice to afford di most powerful man in di world " na di fullest honour British protocol go allow" and di rest of di world dey watch closely.

"Dis state visit no be just UK-US event," e tok. "E don become one of di biggest stories around di world.

"Di rest of di world go dey look at London and Windsor, di UK wider international standing."

Many officials dey confident say di visit go, go smoothly, simply becos all di sides want am to succeed.

Dem emphasise say Palace staff tink say di Trumps na warm and solicitous guests in 2019.

"Trump dey quite funny in private," one diplomat tok. "E get quite a neat turn of phrase wey di King go appreciate."

For di UK govment, di overwhelming aim na for Air Force One to take off on Thursday evening wit Trump warmly dispose to Britain.

Serious business behind di pageantry

Beyond providing di one day of royal pageantry, di govment get business to conduct on Thursday wen proceedings go be to move to di prime minister residence for Chequers.

Ministers hope to complete one deal to exclude UK steel and aluminium from US tariffs. Dem go get some new civil nuclear cooperation.

Di centrepiece na to set di signing of one technology partnership, involving new investment in Britain and greater cooperation with Silicon Valley on artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

Dis na Lord Mandelson priority, something e describe for im outgoing letter to embassy staff last week as "my personal pride and joy", e claim say e go "help write di next chapter of di special relationship".

All dis issues go dey like big domestic "wins" to help promote di govment growth agenda.

Di visit go also provide Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wit significant opportunity to bend di ear of di president just one week bifor di United Nations general assembly for New York, especially on Ukraine.

Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary wey dey heavily involved in di last Trump state visit, tok say dis na key chance to shape di president thinking.

"Trump appear to dey on a journey away from Putin, towards recognising e need di standing of im European allies beta," Hunt tok.

"Wetin di govment go really want do na to continue dat journey, looking for deal to impose more sanctions on kontris buying Russian oil."

Planning dey heavily focused on security - and turning Windsor Castle into di ring of steel

Sophia Gaston, senior research fellow for King College London, tok say di state visit na important chance for di UK to influence US policy at dis crucial stage of di Trump administration, na opportunity for di first six months and next year wen di focus fit shift to domestic elections and strategic competition wit China.

"We dey move into new phase," she tok. "Dis state visit go really mata. Na about us securing one foothold as di primary symbolic and strategic ally of di United States."

Di diplomatic game of cards

Di diplomatic game of cards, wey di govment dey play on di King na for political purposes?

"Di govment get di convening power of di King and dem fit use am in transactional way, for example di brandishing of di King letter for di Oval Office," one royal source tok.

"Dem realise say di Palace fit draw pipo in ways dem no fit for Whitehall.

"Di problem be say dem dey use di personality of di monarch and di institution of di monarchy, e dey risky to cross di line and you ask someone wey be non-political actor to transact political act on behalf of di govment."

Official state visit by US presidents dey rare. Na only ever three times e don hapun: President Bush in 2003; President Obama in 2011 and Trump in 2019. All oda visits na official or informal.

But even if e go smoothly pipo go still ask questions weda e dey effective . "E dey very key for Trump presidency," one diplomat tok.

"We don play dis card too soon? Wetin we go do now na to play again?"





Uk invite Trump for second state visit (pictured above during im last visit, wit First Lady Melania, in 2019)



Detail planning for di visit don go on for months, down to banquet menus, seating plans and wording of di King seven-minute speech



One challenge na to make sure say di helicopter landing zones dey positioned to ensure di horses of di Mounted Household Cavalry (pictured) no dey fear di noise



President Trump (pictured on im first state visit to UK) go return for a second state visit dis Wednesday and Thursday



Ministers dey hope to complete one deal to exclude UK steel and aluminium from US tariffs



President Trump and King Charles go make speeches for one banquet during di state visit



Planning heavily focus on security - and turning Windsor Castle into ring of steel



Na only three state times US presidents don visit UK: President Bush in 2003; President Obama in 2011 and President Trump in 2019