President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were forced to switch helicopters during a flight from Chequers to Stansted Airport in England after a “hydraulics issue” affected Marine One, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the pilots landed at a local airfield before reaching Stansted Airport,” Leavitt said. “The president and first lady safely boarded the support helicopter.”
The short hop was scheduled to take about 20 minutes. Because of the problem, the couple needed nearly 40 minutes to reach the airport.
A second state visit centered on investment
The incident came during an unusual second state visit, with King Charles III and Queen Camilla hosting the Trumps. The trip is expected to highlight a significant U.S. investment push in Britain.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised a £250 billion mutual investment package between the two countries, calling the U.S.-UK alliance the “natural partnership in the world.”
Trump began his day at Windsor Castle, where he met with King Charles III. He then flew by Marine One to Chequers, the prime minister’s country residence, for a day of political and business meetings.
Private talks give way to a business reception and a new tech deal
Trump and Starmer held private talks that likely touched on Ukraine, the war in Gaza, the environment, and free speech. Afterward, the two leaders joined business executives for a reception.
Starmer called the agreement the two leaders reached a “tech-prosperity deal.” Trump said it would generate “billions of dollars of opportunities” and give the United States “better access to the UK’s world-class aerospace supply chain,” adding that the supply chain is indeed world-class, a strength he said many people overlook.
“We’re taking the next logical step with a historic agreement on science and technology partnerships, and this will create new government, academic, and private sector cooperation in areas such as AI, which is taking over the world. I’m looking at you guys, you’re taking over the world, Jensen, I don’t know what you’re doing here. I hope you’re right,” Trump said.
“We both hope you’re right”
Trump followed up by pointing to the breadth of the partnership and its early financial results.
“All I can say is we both hope you’re right. But it’s pretty amazing. Quantum computing, fusion, 6G, and civil nuclear energy align our nations through the approach of centered deregulation and innovation. And we’re going to have a lot of deregulation and a tremendous amount of innovation just happening. But this new accord is already helping spur a massive wave of private sector deals worth over $350 billion alone, headlined by a $136 billion from Blackstone,” Trump added.
He then turned to Steve, a business figure in the room, drawing laughter from the crowd before describing a nuclear project.
“That’s very nice. Steve, thank you. That’s why you have that location, I think. (Laughter) It’s considered the best seat of the year. Yours is pretty good, too, Jensen. That’s good. That’s great, Steve. You know what you’re doing better than anybody. American company X Energy and British company Centrica has been announcing and really for a long while they’ve been talking about this deal, the deployment of modular nuclear reactors across the U.K., all across the U.K.,” Trump continued.
“And it’s been in the wind for a couple of years, and now we’re getting it done, generating more than $50 billion in economic value, creating up to 2,500 jobs, and powering 1.5 million homes. That’s a lot of homes. Seven decades after British genius Alan Turing pioneered the field. This agreement will also help America and our British allies dominate the future of artificial intelligence. You need the energy. You have to have the energy. That’s one thing I learned very quickly. They need a lot of electricity,” the president added.
Back home after a busy week abroad
Trump returned to the White House on Friday, ending a lengthy overseas trip that had begun with a helicopter scare and concluded with a series of major investment announcements.
