The talking points and highlights from Donald Trump’s three days in the UK

After landmark tours from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, meetings and dinners and a trademark surge in Twitter activity, US President Donald Trump travelled to Ireland on Wednesday afternoon as his state visit to the UK comes to its conclusion.

Here are the talking points and highlights from the three days Mr Trump spent in the UK:

Tweets of the trip

Typically it was the President’s own tweets that proved the focal point of the trip, and before the President had even landed at Stansted Airport he launched a Twitter tirade at Sadiq Khan.

He branded the London mayor a “stone cold loser” after Mr Khan had described him as an example of “a growing global threat” and compared his language with that of “fascists of the 20th century”.

Another hallmark of Mr Trump’s stay was to dismiss reports of protests against him during his visit as “fake news”, instead claiming there had been “tremendous crowds of well wishers”.

After thousands gathered on London’s streets on Tuesday, Mr Trump told his followers the demonstrations were “organised flops”, saying the larger crowds consisted of his supporters.

“I kept hearing that there would be ‘massive’ rallies against me in the UK, but it was quite the opposite,” he tweeted.

“The big crowds, which the Corrupt Media hates to show, were those that gathered in support of the USA and me.”

Street demonstrations

Despite Mr Trump’s protests, demonstrators against him did gather in great numbers, with The Trump Babysitters group claiming tens of thousands joined marches on Tuesday.

This was fewer than an estimated 250,000 who gathered when the US leader visited last year, but once again the 20ft Trump Baby blimp took to the skies above Parliament Square.

The protests were also attended by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who Mr Trump refused to meet during his stay, describing him as a “somewhat negative force”.

Trump supporters also marched, though Lewis Metcalfe, 28, who was in Parliament Square wearing a Make America Great Again cap, admitted himself they were “a minority”.

There were a number of clashes between pro and anti-Trump groups throughout the day, with one Trump supporter surrounded by angry protesters shouting “Nazi” and having a milkshake thrown at him.

A royal fist bump?

On Monday Mr Trump and the Queen met with a rather unusual handshake, with many remarking on first inspection that they had exchanged a fist bump.

However it appears the president actually clenched her hand rather than shaking it with a flat hand.

Body language expert Judi James suggested Mr Trump – known usually for extremely firm handshakes – was not able to get a proper grasp because the Queen usually offers only her fingertips.

Quote of the trip

Unsurprisingly this came from Mr Trump’s press conference with Theresa May, after he controversially claimed access for US firms to the NHS must be part of talks for a post-Brexit trade deal.

The President would later backtrack, telling Good Morning Britain’s Piers Morgan “I don’t see it being on the table” as the NHS was “something that I would not consider part of trade”.

Political meetings

Away from the news cameras, Mr Trump spoke with a number of politicians during his stay, including Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, who said the pair had a “good meeting” and the president “really believes in Brexit”.

Meanwhile Mr Trump had a phone call with Boris Johnson and face-to-face meeting with Jeremy Hunt, both of whom he said would do a “very good job” as the next leader of the Conservative Party.

Pictures of the trip

An invite to join Prince Charles in inspecting the Guard of Honour, formed of two lines by Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards wearing their famous scarlet tunics and bearskins, appeared to be a job Mr Trump enjoyed.

Mr Trump may have been less pleased with the sight of the baby blimp in his likeness flying over London, an inflatable which proved a golden opportunity for photographic creativity.

Lastly, a snapshot of the President and his wife enjoying a fly past at the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day landings at Southsea Common in Portsmouth could yet prove fodder for postcards or a family photo album.

A nudge on climate change

Mr Trump has famously accused climate experts of having a “political agenda” and pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement on climate change, but the President told ITV’s Good Morning Britain he was pressed on the issue by the Prince of Wales during a 90-minute meeting at Clarence House.

“What moved me was his passion for future generations, he’s really not doing this for him, he’s doing this for future generations,” Mr Trump said.

“I did mention a number of things, I did say the United States right now has among the cleanest climates.”

Whose horse is that?

During a tour of a special collection of treasures at Buckingham Palace, Mr Trump failed when asked to recognise a polished pewter statue of a horse – a piece he had himself gifted to the Queen at tea with her at Windsor Castle last year – but his wife Melania gamely came to the rescue.

Director of the Royal Collection Tim Knox said when Mr Trump was asked if he recognised it, he said “no” but “the First Lady did recognise it, which is rather nice”.

Video moment

Mr Trump’s visit to Westminster Abbey saw him lay a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Warrior in honour of the two World Wars and more recent conflicts, as is tradition with a state visit.

Standing at the grave, the President touched his hand on the wreath and kept his eyes closed during the prayer.

Looks like an ice cream

Gaffe of the week no doubt went to a photojournalist at Clarence House, where the Trumps met the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall for tea.

Thee photographer’s flash diffuser fell off their camera and landed at the feet of Charles, who promptly picked it up and returned it, but not before he laughingly quipped: “Looks like an ice cream.”

Fine dining

The Trumps’ fine dining began with Monday’s state banquet, where senior royals, captains of industry and other leading figures gathered to honour Mr Trump, where it is thought it took four days to set the table.

A contentious moment saw Mr Trump appear to breach accepted royal protocol by touching the Queen on the back as she rose for his toast, however the Queen seemed unperturbed.

On Tuesday the President returned the favour by hosting the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall at a black-tie dinner at Winfield House, the official residence of the US Ambassador to the UK – with the Prime Minister and her husband Philip also amongst the guests.

Guests enjoyed a European-influenced menu with wine from a Californian winery, though Mr Trump is famously teetotal.

D-Day

On his final day in the UK, Mr Trump joined the Queen, Mrs May and other world leaders alongside 300 veterans in Portsmouth for a ceremony ahead of Thursday’s anniversary of 75 years since the D-Day landings.

The President read an excerpt from the prayer president Franklin D Roosevelt delivered by radio on the evening of June 6, 1944.