The visit was categorized as a “working visit”, but the British media reported that besides meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump could also meet with the queen and royal family members.
The visit would start after Trump attended the NATO summit slated for July 11-12 in Brussels. The two sides tried to patch up with their ties strained over a group of issues by jointly attacking Syria earlier this month.
Trump made a sudden announcement on January 11 that he has cancelled his trip to Britain due to disappointment over the new location of the US embassy in London.
The trans-Atlantic alliance between the United States and Britain has been shaky ever since Trump assumed the presidency last January. His proposal of a strict ban on Muslim immigration has sparked wide controversy in the island nation.
Under domestic pressure, May said that Trump’s remarks were wrong, triggering the latter’s retort demanding her not focus on him, but on anti-terrorism efforts in her own nation. Trump’s statement further irritated London, as many people and government officials asked May to withdraw her invitation to Trump to pay a state visit.
The two nations have also seen huge differences on multiple issues like Trump’s retreat from the Paris climate accord, his decision regarding Jerusalem at the end of 2017 and his refusal to certify Iran’s compliance with the historic Iran nuclear deal in October.
