Trump melts down in UK as he’s greeted with demands to ‘release Epstein files’

September 18, 2025 Justin Peters

President Donald Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom, his second since 2019, was met with lavish royal pomp from King Charles III and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, including a gun salute and carriage procession at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, but protesters ensured the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein haunted the proceedings.

On Tuesday, activists from the Stop Trump Coalition unfurled a massive banner of Trump with the late convicted sex offender Epstein near Windsor Castle, followed by projections of their images onto the castle walls that evening, leading to four arrests for malicious communications.

The demonstrations, organized by groups like Led By Donkeys, coincide with recent U.S. revelations, including a sexually suggestive 2003 birthday letter allegedly from Trump to Epstein released by House Oversight Democrats on September 8, which Trump denies authoring amid a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal.

The U.K. visit, aimed at redeeming Starmer’s scandal-plagued government through a $42 billion AI and nuclear energy pact, shows Trump’s enduring Epstein ties despite efforts to shake them off.

How It Went Down

Trump arrived in London on September 16, for a four-day state visit hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, marking the first such honor for a U.S. president since 2019. The itinerary included a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle on September 17, with Prince William and Princess Kate joining for tours.

However, protesters disrupted the pomp: on September 16, the Stop Trump Coalition displayed a large banner of Trump and Epstein on Windsor Castle grounds, and Led By Donkeys projected multiple images of the pair, Epstein’s victims, news clips, and the alleged birthday letter onto the castle tower.

Thames Valley Police arrested four adults on suspicion of malicious communications for the “unauthorized projection,” described as a “public stunt,” with the suspects remaining in custody.

Led By Donkeys, known for anti-Brexit and anti-Trump stunts since 2018, called the arrests “Orwellian” and “ridiculous,” stating, “It is rather Orwellian for a piece of journalism raising questions about our guest’s relationship with America’s most notorious child sex trafficker to lead to arrests,” per The Guardian.

The group projected the 2003 letter’s text—“To Jeff, you are the greatest!”—and a 2002 New York Magazine quote where Trump called Epstein a “terrific guy” who likes “beautiful women… on the younger side.” Protests continued in London on September 17, with thousands marching in Parliament Square demanding “release the Epstein files,” led by Jeremy Corbyn, who praised the Windsor stunt.

projections of their images onto the castle walls

The demonstrations highlight Trump’s Epstein scrutiny, intensified by the September 8 Oversight release of the birthday book, including the letter with a nude sketch and Trump’s signature as pubic hair, which he denies. Trump’s July 17 denial—“This is not me. It’s a fake Wall Street Journal story”—led to the $10 billion lawsuit against the Journal, News Corp, and Rupert Murdoch.

Trump’s Raging Episode

In a Wednesday episode of the Daily Beast podcast Inside Trump’s Head, author Michael Wolff said Trump was privately upset that Peter Mandelson, the British ambassador to the U.K., was fired by Prime Minister Keir Starmer over ties to Epstein just days ahead of his royal visit.

“So Peter Mandelson got hoisted on that and he was fired, plunging Donald Trump into something of a rage with Keir Starmer,” Wolff said. “Because Trump went around saying to aides, you know, ‘Why couldn’t they wait until after the trip? This is just going to remind people of Epstein and then Epstein, Epstein, Epstein.’”

Wolff, in a September 18 CNN interview, said, “Keir Starmer wants to come out and say, this is what I’ve got. And I’ve bowed down to Donald Trump. The problem with Trump is that he gives and he takes… it has no consistency, no staying power. I’d say that they are playing a game here, that the Labour government is playing a game that they’re, in the end, not going to get much of a return.”

The $42 billion pact includes joint AI research hubs and nuclear reactor development, but critics like Corbyn called it “a sellout to Trump’s agenda.”

Absences included Prince Andrew, banned due to Epstein associations, and Mandelson, fired over Epstein links. Starmer’s government, hit by scandals including a July betting probe, used the visit to project stability.