Trump's U.K. state visit turns from pomp and pageantry to foreign policy

President Donald Trump met with Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday as his state visit to Britain shifted gears from pomp and pageantry to talks over a range of policy issues from climate to Iran that the close allies disagree over.

A trade deal for when Britain leaves the European Union was also discussed.

Trump told May at a meeting with U.S. and British business leaders on Tuesday that she should "stick around" so the two nations can do a trade deal. "Let’s do this deal," Trump said to May at the event, at St. James’s Palace in London.

May formally relinquishes her role as prime minister on Friday.

Trump is spending three days in Britain with first lady Melania Trump and his adult children. The trip is aimed at celebrating the "special relationship" between Britain and the United States before Trump travels to Ireland and France for bilateral meetings and a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

On Monday, the Trumps visited Buckingham Palace, where they met the queen and her son and heir Prince Charles. They were feted at a lavish banquet where Britain's 93-year-old monarch toasted an alliance that ensured "the safety and prosperity of both our peoples for decades." Trump spoke of the two nations' "eternal friendship."

But Tuesday's schedule turns more to politics and will highlight fresh uncertainty in the allies' storied relationship, not least because of May's impending departure as Britain's leader. From Friday, May will be in a caretaker role as her ruling Conservative Party begins a weeks-long process to succeed her as prime minister.