Trump lands in the UK after fresh Brexit gibe aimed at Theresa May
London: Theresa May invoked Winston Churchill to underline the importance of Britain and the United States standing up together against Russian aggression at a black tie dinner for Donald Trump.
Trump, who is visiting the UK for his first time as US president, touched down at Stansted Airport on Thursday afternoon before arriving at Blenheim Palace by helicopter for the dinner in his honour. He was driven into the grounds in the bombproof vehicle known as "The Beast."
Blenheim Palace is the birthplace of the Second World War leader, who famously coined the phrase "special relationship" to describe the link between the UK and US.
Accompanied by her husband Philip, May, wearing a floor length red gown with red heels, greeted the President and first lady Melania - who wore a pale yellow gown.
The Trumps were greeted by British pomp and ceremony including a performance by military bands from right across the UK decked out in full regalia, which the leaders and their spouses watched from the steps of the entrance to the palace.
May told guests, from some of the two nations' largest businesses, that the US and the UK were "not just the closest of allies, but the dearest of friends."
"Today, that friendship manifests itself in many ways, as was the case in Churchill’s time, and in many years before and since, it’s there in our joint efforts to protect our shared security – whether through targeting Daesh terrorists or standing up to Russian aggression," the prime minister told guests over a meal of Scottish salmon and English Hereford beef.
The British government orchestrated what is thought to be the largest ever expulsion of Russian spies from Western and European countries around the world following the attempted Novichock poisoning assassination of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.
While both are recovering, British woman Dawn Sturgess died last week when she and her boyfriend, who has regained consciousness, are thought to have come into contact with the original source of the poison - possibly through a used syringe.
Trump continues to dismiss the Mueller investigation into Russian meddling in the US presidential campaign, and any possible coordination with it, as a witch-hunt.
Trump is set to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland next week.
May gave a warm and gracious speech focussing much of it on commerce, citing the value of UK foreign investment to key swing states Trump won in his upset 2016 victory and promising to "tear down bureaucratic barriers" through a new free trade agreement after Brexit next year.
"There are thousands of British employers with a long-term presence in the US, providing well-paid work and driving economic growth in every state," she said.
"Some of those are with us at Blenheim tonight - between them, the British companies represented here this evening employ well over a quarter of a million people in the United States."
May focussed on the benefits of UK investment as crucial to jobs in US swing-states.
"That all means a great deal more than simply numbers in bank accounts," she said.
"It means jobs, opportunities and wealth for hardworking people right across America. Tomorrow morning, around 24,000 men and women in Michigan will get up and go to work for a UK-owned company. Another 40,000 will do the same in Ohio. 60,000 in Pennsylvania... from Maine to Alaska, more than a million Americans work for British companies.
May's gracious tone was in stark contrast to that set by Trump ahead of his arrival.
Before departing for London, Trump took another swipe at May, questioning whether her Brexit proposal, to create a free trade zone between the UK and EU for agri-goods was "what the people voted for" – one of the key complaints of hardline Brexiters like David Davis and Boris Johnson who quit the cabinet this week in protest.
After previously describing the UK as "somewhat in turmoil," Trump went further as he left the NATO summit in Brussels, describing Britain as a "hotspot" and repeating his gibe that his Monday meeting with Putin may be his easiest.
Trump's visit to the UK was delayed and downgraded from a state visit to a working visit following a fierce backlash in Britain over what critics say are his racist and sexist views.
Nevertheless he will meet the Queen at Windsor Castle for tea on Friday afternoon. The President's trip largely avoids London, where a major anti-Trump rally is planned, and a giant helium balloon depicting Trump as a baby in a nappy will be flown. He brushed off the protests saying people in the UK like him.