Piers Morgan today blasted the hundreds of thousands of 'disrespectful and pathetic' activists pledging to paralyse London with mass demonstrations as Donald Trump visits Britain.

More than 20,000 police officers will be deployed at 20 sites planned across the country in a security operation expected to cost about £18million.

A ring of steel surrounds central London today, where agitators plan to fly an offensive 20ft blimp depicting the President as an angry baby and a 16ft talking robot of Mr Trump sitting on a gold toilet.

Piers Morgan today blasted hundreds of thousands of 'disrespectful and pathetic' activists on ITV's Good Morning Britain alongside his co-presenter Susanna Reid

Police officers conduct security checks on The Mall in London this morning ahead of the visit

The main protest is being planned for close to Buckingham Palace at 5.30pm - where the Queen will be hosting a state banquet in the US President's honour this evening.

Protesters have pledged to cripple the UK capital because they oppose the decision to welcome Mr Trump for a state visit - only the third offered to a US president.

But despite Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, Romania's Nicolae Ceausescu and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia all having the same level of pageantry - they did not face the same level of protest.

Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan, who is also the DailyMail.com US Editor-at-Large, said that Mr Trump's welcome from protesters is 'disrespectful and pathetic' - especially as he is here to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

He said: 'There's something a bit warped about our values – is Trump really worse than Putin and King Salman? The Americans fought and died alongside us on D Day.'

The protesters are planning to fly an offensive 20ft blimp depicting the President as an angry baby.

Donald Trump and first lady Melania waved as they boarded Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland last night. The US president is going to London, France and Ireland

Asad Rehman, member of the Stop Trump Coalition, which created the blimp, told ITV's Good Morning Britain that the protest was a comment on Mr Trump being 'egotistical and has got a very thin skin'.

He was asked by Piers Morgan whether this makes it look like Britain's response to commemorating the US contribution to D-Day seems to be putting up a baby blimp.

Mr Rehman then accused Mr Morgan of wanting to be Mr Trump's chief of staff, which Mr Morgan denied, saying he just wanted to be 'fair minded'.

Mr Rehman added: 'Let's be as upset the fact that six young children have died in custody in the United States as a result of his policies to divide parents and children.'

Mr Morgan also criticised Mr Rehman for not protesting the visit of Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, with a similar baby blimp.

But Mr Rehman said there were other demonstrations held against the Crown Prince, adding: 'I don't think the criteria for a protest is having a blimp.'

Police marksmen scan the area as they await the arrival of Mr Trump at Stansted Airport today

Police officers patrol The Mall which is decked with British and American flags this morning

Mr Rehman added: 'There is a very tawdry history of us rolling out the red carpet for people with despicable views and politics. We should be raising our standards.

'The fact that the overwhelming majority of, what we could call from political parties to ordinary people, majority of people in London object to the state visit is because it's the rolling out of red carpet - not just about the fact he's a sexual predator, he tweets racist and fascist, he's a climate denialist, he's a misogynist. All these things.

'He's retweeted far-Right fascists, the very people, convicted racists, who's incitement led to the murder of a British MP. Remember that the murderer of Jo Cox shouts Britain First. The way he talks about migrants.'

A 16ft talking robot of Mr Trump sitting on a gold toilet is also expected to make an appearance. It depicts the US leader with his trousers round his ankles while tweeting.

The robot, which has been shipped to the UK from China, emits farting noises and recordings of some of Trump's provocative sound bites including: 'no collusion', 'a witch-hunt', 'you are fake news' and 'I'm a very stable genius'.

Asad Rehman (left), member of the Stop Trump Coalition, which created the blimp, appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain today alongside Freddie Gray (right) from The Spectator

The main Trump protest will be held in central London on Tuesday with organisers claiming a quarter of a million will march from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square.

Scotland Yard has given them permission to protest just yards from Downing Street while the US President has lunch there with Prime Minister Theresa May tomorrow.

Two groups – Stand Up To Trump and Stop Trump – are co-ordinating protest groups for what they are calling a 'carnival of resistance'.

They have laid on coaches to bring thousands of supporters to the capital from cities and towns across the UK.

A spokesman for Stand Up To Trump said: 'We will be bringing central London to a standstill. By the time he leaves he will know, and the world will know, that people here reject him and his toxic politics.'

Mr Rehman was asked by Mr Morgan whether the protest makes it look like Britain's response to commemorating the US contribution to D-Day seems to be putting up a baby blimp

Stop Trump added: 'We will make it clear to the British Government it's not OK to normalise Trump's agenda and the fear it has sparked.'

Mr Trump and his wife Melania are being given the full red carpet treatment, with the Queen hosting no fewer than four events in tribute to them.

Royal gun salutes will fire in Trump's honour at the Tower of London and in Green Park, while Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry and the Duke of York will be heavily involved too.

The protesters are planning to fly an offensive 20ft blimp depicting the President as an angry baby. It was previously flown during Mr Trump's visit last year after London's Labour mayor Sadiq Khan licensed its use.

On Sunday, Mr Khan described the president as 'just one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat' and compared the language he has used to that of the 'fascists of the 20th century'.

A 20-foot-tall blimp depicting a cartoon baby Donald Trump flew in London during the president's last visit and is expected to make another appearance this week

Asked if he would be willing to meet the London mayor, Mr Trump replied: 'No, I don't think much of him. I think that he's a - he's the twin of (New York City mayor Bill) de Blasio, except shorter.'

The US president said he expected his three-day state visit to be 'very important' and 'very interesting' as he left the White House on Sunday evening.

Speaking to reporters over the din of his waiting Marine One helicopter, Mr Trump was asked if he planned to meet Mr Johnson during the trip.

'Well, I think I may meet with him. He's been a friend of mine. He's been very nice. I have a very good relationship with him,' the president said of the Tory leadership hopeful.

He went on: 'I have a very good relationship with Nigel Farage, with many people over there (in the UK) and we'll see what happens. I may meet with him. They want to meet. We'll see what happens.'

Accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, the president will arrive aboard Air Force One on Monday morning having already created a considerable degree of political turbulence with comments on the Tory leadership race, Brexit and the Duchess of Sussex.

Protesters will also show off this giant robot of Donald Trump sitting on a gold toilet, which is being shipped to London from China; the 16-foot-high talking robot says well-known phrases like 'stable genius' and 'no collusion' while making fart noises

Ahead of the visit, he called on Britain to leave the European Union without a deal if Brussels refuses to meet its demands and urged the Government to send Mr Farage into the negotiations.

The controversy was further exacerbated on Sunday when the US ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, suggested the NHS would be on the table in post-Brexit trade talks.

Addressing the prospect of a transatlantic trade deal, Mr Trump said: '(We're) going to the UK. I think it'll be very important. It certainly will be very interesting. There's a lot going on in the UK. And I'm sure it's going to work out very well for them.

'As you know, they want to do trade with the United States, and I think there's an opportunity for a very big trade deal at some point in the near future. And we'll see how that works out.'

Accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, the president departed from Joint Base Andrews near Washington DC aboard Air Force One at around 8.45pm local time (1.45am BST).

The Trumps are due to arrive aboard at Stansted Airport on Monday morning before heading to Buckingham Palace for a reception with the Queen, Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.

The president and first lady made their way to Air Force One after landing in Marine One (pictured) at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to leave for Britain

The Duke of Sussex will also attend a private lunch at the palace - although his wife, who is on maternity leave, will be at home with their four-week-old son, Archie.

Mr Trump has already denied calling the Duchess of Sussex 'nasty' when he was recently confronted with comments she made before the 2016 US elections saying she would leave the country if he won.

Asked at the White House on Sunday evening if he was willing to apologise to the Royal Family, or to clarify the comments made to the Sun's political editor, Mr Trump replied: 'No, I made no bad comment. Thank you.'

Mr Trump's arrival in the capital is due to be followed by a protest through central London against the visit on Tuesday, with the 'Trump baby' blimp made for his visit last year due to put in an appearance.

On Sunday, Mr Khan described the president as 'just one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat' and compared the language he has used to that of the 'fascists of the 20th century'.

Asked if he would be willing to meet the London mayor, Mr Trump replied: 'No, I don't think much of him. I think that he's a - he's the twin of (New York City mayor Bill) de Blasio, except shorter.'