What does Donald Trump want from his UK state visit?
Americast
BBC
4.2 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 17 September 2025
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As King Charles welcomes Donald Trump to Windsor, England for the US president’s second state visit to the UK, what should we be expecting from the trip? Sarah joins Justin and Marianna from Windsor to unpack how divisions over Gaza, Ukraine and tariffs might be dealt with, and what would constitute a successful trip for both countries. The team also discuss potential flash points for both the UK PM Keir Starmer and Donald Trump, particularly over the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the sacking of the UK’s ambassador Peter Mandelson.
Also, in the aftermath of the assassination of conservative influencer, Charlie Kirk, the Americast team discuss whether the Trump administration is clamping down on America’s first amendment protection of free speech. The US attorney general Pam Bondi has told Americans they will “go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech” and the US Vice President JD Vance has suggested targeting people critical of Charlie Kirk by reporting them to employers. How might this stance be viewed by Donald Trump’s MAGA base who fiercely believe in free speech?
HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America Editor • Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Correspondent
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This episode was made by George Dabby and Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Michael Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:05.0 | It's going to be a big day today, Wednesday, and I know that because Donald Trump told us it's going to be a very big day. |
| 0:13.7 | And it certainly is quite a day for him because he's going to be greeted at Windsor Castle by the King and Queen King Charles, who he says is a good friend of his. |
| 0:23.1 | It's his first full day of his state visit to the United Kingdom. |
| 0:26.6 | There's plenty to talk about between the US and the UK, obviously, whether it is the divisions over Gaza, Ukraine, |
| 0:33.9 | talks about trade tariffs. And the criticism the UK has been getting recently from the US over the issue of free speech. Well, that's going to be an interesting conversation because Donald Trump has just left back home, a nation reeling from the assassination of the right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, which has sparked a very fierce debate in America over what constitutes |
| 0:56.2 | free speech. So what is Donald Trump leaving behind and what's he arriving to in the UK? Welcome to |
| 1:02.9 | AmeriCast. Americaast. America from BBC News. When Donald Trump calls, they say, yes, sir, right away, sir. |
| 1:12.7 | Happy to lick your boot, sir. |
| 1:14.6 | We are the sickest country in the world. |
| 1:17.0 | Oh, dear. |
| 1:17.8 | Are you worried that billionaires are going to go hungry? |
| 1:20.6 | Of course the president supports peaceful protest. |
| 1:22.6 | What a stupid question. |
| 1:23.6 | Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? |
| 1:32.3 | Yeah. Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? Hello, it's Sarah here in the United Kingdom in a hotel near Windsor. |
| 1:37.6 | And it's Justin at home, far from Windsor in South London. |
| 1:41.1 | And it is Mariana, aka Misinformation, in the worldwide headquarters of America's |
| 1:46.3 | in London, all on my own. Holding the fort there. Yeah, that's right, holding the fort. Let's kick |
| 1:52.4 | off with the visit. And since you are closer to it, Sarah, why don't you kick off? If you're |
| 1:58.4 | still in the hotel, it's suggesting me that it's not properly underway. |
| 2:01.3 | Though I suppose the state bits of it could take part without you there. |
... |
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