United Kingdom

The world was focused on Britain this week. A state visit is a big symbolic event but usually the public interest is confined to the two countries involved.

Not this time, Trump’s unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom, was front page news in Sweden, Germany, Japan…. Would the president behave? If the US-UK special relationship faltered in the face of MAGA what chance was there for the rest of the world?

Well, the visit was a diplomatic triumph for both countries. The president and King Charles got on famously and their speeches were the epitome of diplomatic non-speak.

There were disagreements between Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer over Gaza and recognition of a Palestinian state, but the two men agreed to disagree for the sake of the wider Anglo-American relationship. The issue of Ukraine saw some a slight movement by Trump towards the UK/Europe position and he hinted at a bigger shift if all Europeans stopped all imports of Russian oil (nudge, nudge, wink, wink Hungary and Slovakia).

At the Chequers press conference, the president was asked about attacks on British free speech by his vice president and others. He simply refused to answer. The Epstein files and the fate of Lord Mandelson who was sacked as ambassador on the eve of the state visit was raised. Trump replied: “I have never met the man.”

If Trump did put a foot wrong it was when he suggested that the British government should use the military to patrol its borders instead of trying to stop the small boats with diplomacy. The president was quickly—and politely—told to stay out of Britain’s immigration issue.

A state visit would not be a state visit without the big business deals. And this state visit saw the largest ever commercial package — £150 billion which should create 7,600 jobs. Most of the money went on nuclear energy, quantum computing and AI computing. The investment, however, has been criticised by Nick Clegg, former Liberal Democrat Leader and until recently Facebook’s vice president for Global Affairs, as “crumbs from the silicon valley table.”

United States

One flickering light emerged from the darkness of the assassination of Charlie Kirk—Utah’s Governor Spencer Cox.

In fact, one can say that the light emanated from Utah’s Republican Party.

It was of course, Utah, where Charlie Kirk was shot by Tyler Robinson. And because it was his state, Republican Governor Cox stepped in front of the television cameras to speak. He could have followed in the footsteps of President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Steve Bannon, Alec Jones, Laura Loomer and other leading Republicans and called for vengeance.

But he didn’t. Instead Governor Cox called “on every American—Republican, Democrat, liberal, progressive, conservative, MAGA, all of us—to please, please, follow what Charlie taught me: Always forgive your enemies—nothing annoys them more.”

This is not the first time that Cox has refused to take the Trumpian line. He refused to endorse him in 2016 because “Trump does not support goodness or kindness.” In 2020 Cox declined to back Trump’s claim of a stolen election. And he didn’t endorse Trump in 2024 until after the attempted assassination at Butler, Pennsylvania.

Cox is chairman of the National Governor’s Association and through it launched the “Disagree Better” initiative. He regularly appears in national videos with democratic governors and is especially close to Maryland’s Governor Wes Moore who is being talked about as a 2028 presidential candidate for the Democratic Party.

It should be noted, however, that Utah’s Republicans as a whole veer away from Donald Trump. Former Utah Senator Mitt Romney was the only Republican Senator to twice vote to impeach Trump. Utah Senator John Curtis is a leading light in the climate change lobby.

At the same time, Utah is a deeply conservative state. 70 percent of the state are registered Republican voters. Both senators, the governor, all four congressmen and a super majority in the state legislature are Republican. But few of them are MAGA.

Political pundits ascribe the split with Trump to the influence of the Mormon Church. The Church of Latter Day Saints plays a huge role in the state’s political culture and 61 percent of the state population are Mormons. Like most church’s, the Mormons stress conservative values such as family unity, public service and community. In Utah this appears to have led to a courteous and pragmatic conservatism. Definitely not MAGA. Definitely not Trumpian.

Gaza

Remember Trump’s plan to take over Gaza, move out the Palestinians and turn the strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

The inhumanely daft proposal went quiet for a few months. In fact, it looked like it had been shelved when in July, Trump said: “It was a concept that was embraced by a lot of people. Also some people didn’t like it.”

Well, according to the ultra-nationalist far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, the plan is back. He told an event in Tel Aviv this week: “A business plan is on President Trump’s table.” He added: We’ve done the demolition phase… Now we need to build.”

Smotrich’s comments appear to be supported by a Washington Post article which said that there was talk within the Trump Administration about turning Gaza into a US trusteeship for at least ten years during which America would transform Gaza into a regional tourism and high-tech hub.

If there is any truth in the stories than the Americans have their work cut out for them. 92 percent of the housing units have been destroyed, 91 percent of the schools reduced to rubble and 86 percent of agricultural land is unusable. The UN estimates that it will cost $53.2 billion to rebuild Gaza and take at least ten years. And, neither the Americans nor the Israelis have resolved the problem of where to put two million Gazan Palestinians.

* Tom Arms is foreign editor of Liberal Democrat Voice. He also contributes to “The New World” magazine and lectures on world affairs. He is the author of “America Made in Britain,” two editions of “The Encyclopaedia of the Cold War” and “The Falklands Crisis.”