Here’s what you need to know:

President Trump and Theresa May express confidence in Brexit.

President Trump said at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday that he believed Brexit would eventually happen, adding that Britain is “a very, very special place and I think it deserves a special place.”

The comments came in the Durbar Court of the foreign office building on the second day of a three-day state visit as the two leaders held a brief but wide-ranging news conference that also touched on a trade deal, Huawei, Mr. Trump’s critics and tariffs on Mexico.

Mr. Trump has been a critic of Britain’s approach to Brexit, suggesting that Britain should take a more aggressive approach, but after saying he did not want to take a strong position, he said, “I think it will happen.”

Britain has been forced to seek an extension with the European Union on its Brexit plan, leading some to wonder if the withdrawal might never happen. For her part, Mrs. May reiterated that the country would be able to negotiate a deal.

“It is important for us to deliver Brexit,” she said. “I continue to believe it’s in the best interest of the British people to leave the E.U. in an orderly fashion, with a deal.”

Mr. Trump started his remarks by thanking the queen, calling her a “fantastic woman,” before turning to the strategic ties between the two countries, citing the areas of shared interest even though the relationship has sometimes been rocky during his tenure: the fight against the Islamic State, support for NATO and the question of how to deal with Iran.

Mrs. May opened by noting the courage and sacrifice of those who gave their lives in World War II, comments that were echoed by Mr. Trump when he first spoke. She said that it was a fitting way to note the “special relationship” between the two countries, citing their shared democratic values and unity of purpose.

While acknowledging that the two countries had differed at times on how to face the challenges they confronted, Mrs. May praised the ways in which they have worked together, pointing out in particular the responses to Russian attempts to poison a former Soviet spy on the streets of England and to a chemical weapons attack in Syria.

Mr. Trump said he had rejected an opportunity to talk with the opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who has been one of his harshest critics in Britain. He also continued his dispute with another fierce critic, the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, calling him, as well as Mr. Corbyn, a “negative force.”

Polls have shown that Mr. Trump is relatively unpopular in Britain, but the president dismissed those claims, saying that coverage of the protests was overblown. “There was great love,” he said.

Mr. Trump sees potential for a “substantial trade deal.”

President Trump arrived in Britain on Monday to a welcome full of pageantry: an 82-gun salute at Buckingham Palace and a lavish banquet with members of the royal family.

On Tuesday, Mr. Trump’s schedule was less about pomp and more about business. He began the day with a round-table discussion at St. James’s Palace, alongside Prime Minister Theresa May, business leaders from both countries, and his daughter Ivanka Trump. Trade was at the top of the agenda.

At the start of the meeting, Mr. Trump praised Mrs. May and said that Britain and the United States would come to an agreement on trade. “I think we’ll have a very substantial trade deal,” Mr. Trump said.

Speaking to Mrs. May, who is entering her final weeks as prime minister, he said, to laughter, “I don’t know exactly what your timing is, but stick around, let’s do this deal.”

Later in the day, at a joint news conference, Mr. Trump reiterated that Washington was committed to a “phenomenal” trade deal between the United States and Britain. “There is tremendous potential, I say two, maybe three times more than what we are doing today,” he said.

But the reality of negotiating such a deal is much more complicated, with the future leader of Britain unknown at the moment and the practicalities of the country’s withdrawal from the European Union unsettled.

Brexit supporters see a potential trade deal with the United States as one of the prizes of a complete break with the European Union, but such a pact could be contentious. Some worry that letting in American products would force Britain to lower its food and agricultural standards and could weaken health care in the country.

Mr. Trump said that “everything will be on the table” in negotiations for a trade deal, including the National Health Service, which provides free health care in Britain, and “all of that.”

The remarks immediately set off alarm bells in some parts of Britain. Opponents of Brexit, who have been pushing for a second referendum that would allow voters to pull back from a withdrawal, seized on the remarks.

Mexico should stop “invasion” of the U.S., Mr. Trump said.

At the news conference, President Trump was also asked about his decision to impose tariffs on Mexico in an effort to compel the authorities there to take stronger measures against migrants who hope to reach the United States.

“I think it’s more likely that the tariffs go on,” he said. “If they don’t step up and give us security for our nation … look, millions and millions of people are coming through Mexico.”

He said that for every month that Mexico failed to secure the border, the tariffs would continue to rise. But he sought to sound an optimistic note, saying that he believed Mexico would take the necessary measures. “Mexico should step up and stop this onslaught, this invasion into our country,” he said.

Mr. Trump said last week that he would impose a 5 percent tariff on all imported goods from Mexico beginning next Monday, and the tax that would “gradually increase” until the flow of undocumented immigrants is halted.

Boris Johnson won’t meet with Mr. Trump, but they spoke by phone.

President Trump has repeatedly praised Boris Johnson, the leading candidate to replace Theresa May as prime minister. Before arriving in London, Mr. Trump suggested that he might meet with Mr. Johnson, the former foreign minister, calling him “a friend of mine.” He also suggested that he might meet with Nigel Farage, the leader of a pro-Brexit party.

“They’re two very good guys, very interesting people,” Mr. Trump told reporters last week.

But Mr. Johnson declined an invitation for a one-on-one meeting with Mr. Trump, though the two men did have a 20-minute telephone call Tuesday morning, according to the Press Association.

Mr. Johnson told ITV’s Robert Peston that he had turned down the invitation because it conflicted with a campaign event. He is scheduled to make his case for leadership to Conservative Party members at 8 p.m.

Mr. Trump is also expected to meet with another Tory leader on Wednesday: Michael Gove, the environment minister, who is also a candidate to replace Mrs. May.

In the context of this week — when Labour figures have been pilloried for skipping formal events — Mr. Johnson’s decision could be read as a choice to distance himself from the American president.

Protesters take to London streets, but turnout is smaller than expected.

A giant orange balloon of President Trump, depicted as a scowling baby wearing a diaper, was released over Parliament Square in London on Tuesday, kicking off a day of demonstrations against the president’s state visit.

The same large balloon was the focal point of protests that broke out during Mr. Trump’s working visit last July, his first trip to Britain as president.

Mr. Trump is unpopular around Britain, and especially in London. He has feuded with the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, since 2016 over immigration, terrorism and other issues, and on Monday he belittled the mayor again, accusing him of being “nasty” and mocking his stature.

The main protest began at Trafalgar Square as large crowds gathered around a robot depicting Mr. Trump tweeting on a golden toilet.

Crowds began to gather in central London at 11 a.m. and started marching toward Downing Street, where Mr. Trump was meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May.

The demonstrators have vowed to disrupt every stage of Mr. Trump’s visit by bringing central London to a standstill. Last year, Mr. Trump largely avoided the city and the protests that drew tens of thousands of people there.

Though the crowds appeared much smaller than last year, Trafalgar Square overflowed with groups who said they opposed Mr. Trump’s policies.

“Trump and his racist, divisive policies are not welcome in our country,” said Amy Hunter, one protester.

“Stop Racism, Stop Trump,” one placard read. “Climate change is real, your tan is not,” read another. Some groups wore caps emblazoned with spin on the president’s campaign slogan: “Make America Great Again. Impeach Me.”

“It is so embarrassing that our government has invited this fascist buffoon back to our country and is giving him royal treatment, pulling out the red carpet and wining and dining him with our tax money,” said Ruby Lawson, 38.

“We want to show the world and Trump that this is not O.K. and Trump is not welcome.”

London’s mayor punches back (again) at Mr. Trump.

The long-running feud between President Trump and Mayor Sadiq Khan showed no signs of abating on Tuesday.

Mr. Khan, in an interview with Sky News, denounced the American president, describing him as “the poster boy for the far-right movement around the world,” a day after Mr. Trump called the mayor a “stone cold loser” as he arrived in London.

“We disagree with him surely about his policy to ban Muslims from certain countries,” Mr. Khan said, “surely we disagree with his policy to separate children from their parents on the Mexican border, surely we think it’s wrong when he amplifies the tweets from racists in this country.”

Mr. Khan also criticized the British leadership for failing to stand up to Mr. Trump, in particular pointing to the administration’s policies on climate change.

“My point is, Theresa May is so weak as a prime minister and our government is so scared that it wouldn’t say boo to a goose, and I think that’s wrong,” said Mr. Khan, who is a member of the opposition Labour Party.

Mr. Trump then returned fire during his news conference, saying that Mr. Khan was “not a good mayor from what I understand.”

Mike Pompeo joins the president’s entourage.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined the Trump entourage Tuesday morning, overlapping with the president on the final leg of his own European trip, which began in Berlin last week. He attended a meeting with business leaders at St. James’s Palace and then accompanied President Trump to 10 Downing Street.

Mr. Pompeo is the cabinet official who most vocally supports Mr. Trump’s policies and worldview, and so he travels the world to try to turn Mr. Trump’s disparate and often inchoate public musings into reality.

Such was the case last Friday in Berlin, where Mr. Pompeo met with Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss sensitive issues like Afghanistan, Iran and Ukraine.

In Switzerland, which acts as a conduit between Washington and Tehran, Mr. Pompeo talked with Swiss officials about American efforts to confront Iran. But he sent mixed signals in public proclamations about whether the Trump administration intended to soften or harden its approach.

On Monday, before attending a conference of international entrepreneurs in The Hague, Mr. Pompeo denounced China’s economic policies and repeated the Trump administration’s concerns about allowing Huawei and other Chinese firms to build next-generation 5G communications networks.

“China wants to be the dominant economic and military power of the world, spreading its authoritarian vision for society and its corrupt practices worldwide,” Mr. Pompeo said, at a news conference with the Dutch foreign minister, Stef Blok.

Mr. Trump is confident of an agreement on Huawei.

Mr. Trump expressed confidence that the United States and Britain would reach an agreement about the use of products from the Chinese technology giant Huawei that American officials have said poses a national security threat.

During the news conference on Tuesday, Mr. Trump appeared to play down comments by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has said the United States will limit intelligence-sharing with countries that do not bar Huawei from their 5G telecommunications networks.

“I see absolutely no limitations,” Mr. Trump said.

Britain is considering whether to allow equipment made by Huawei in the next-generation wireless networks, known as 5G, that will be built in the years ahead. The American authorities have called for an outright ban, but some British officials have said such a blanket blockade is not necessary.

“We are going to absolutely have an agreement on Huawei,” Mr. Trump said during a joint news conference with Mrs. May. “We will be able to work out any differences.”

Mrs. May did not speak about Huawei. Actions by the United States in recent weeks have complicated how other countries are crafting policies related to Chinese technology companies. Last month, the United States blacklisted Huawei, limiting American companies’ abilities to provide it with software and components.

Huawei has become a flash point in the broader trade dispute between the United States and China. The debate about Huawei highlights a broader conundrum for European leaders as they try to balance relationships with the world’s two largest economies.

What do you give to the family that has everything?

The Trumps exchanged a series of symbolic gifts with members of the royal family at Buckingham Palace on Monday. It was a day full of pageantry and pomp, in a nod to the shared history of Britain and the United States.

President Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, gave the queen a silver and silk poppy brooch from Tiffany & Co. in a custom jewelry box, according to a spokeswoman for Mrs. Trump. The red flower has come to be a symbol of the sacrifices of war.

The pair also gave Prince Philip — an aviation enthusiast — a personalized Air Force One jacket and a signed, first-edition copy of James Doolittle’s autobiography “I Could Never Be So Lucky Again.” An aviation pioneer, Mr. Doolittle led the daylight air raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities during World War II.

The queen gave Mrs. Trump a specially commissioned silver box with a handcrafted enamel lid.

Her gift to Mr. Trump was a first edition of “The Second World War” by Winston Churchill from 1959. World War II has been a theme throughout the visit as the leaders prepare to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

But if anyone expected the gifts to be memorable ones, they might be in for a reality check.

During a tour through Buckingham Palace on Monday, the queen had on display some of the gifts that Mr. Trump gave her during his 2018 visit, including a pewter horse statuette. Mr. Trump said he did not recognize it, according to royal reporter Emily Andrews who was at the event.

Mrs. Trump then pointed out that they had given the statuette to the queen.

Maggie Haberman, Mark Landler, Ellen Barry, Edward Wong, Ceylan Yeginsu, Adam Satariano Megan Specia, Michael Wolgelenter, Alan Yuhas and Christine Spolar contributed reporting.

Source: Read Full Article