Trump RECAP: US President makes bombshell announcement days before UK visit

Just days before he's set to travel to the UK, US President Donald Trump made a major announcement about China while hosting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House. The talks, which took place on Tuesday (July 22), were set to revolve around tariffs and the security partnership between the two countries. However, during reporters' questions in the Oval Office, Mr Trump dropped a bombshell reveal that he has been invited to China by the country's President Xi Jinping. Mr Trump said the US is "getting along very well" with China.

Mr Trump recently sent a letter to the Philippines threatening a 20% tariff on Filipino goods as part of his effort to secure deals with trading partners. The US president initially set a 90-day deadline when he unveiled his "reciprocal tariffs" on April 2, which was extended to the beginning of August to give time for more talks.

Ahead of the presidents' meeting on Tuesday, Mr Marcos met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to reaffirm their commitment to the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty and discuss security concerns in the Asia-Pacific region against the growing threat from China.

Later this week, Mr Trump will also pay a visit to Scotland, the White House confirmed, ahead of a separate state visit to the UK in just under two months' time. This will be his first visit since 2023, when he and his son Eric played a new 18-hole course at his Trump International golf resort in Aberdeenshire. It has been confirmed that Mr Trump will meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer while in Aberdeen. The president will return to the UK in mid-September for an unprecedented second state visit.

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