US President Donald Trump said he gets on well with Keir Starmer – despite the UK being ‘liberal, which is a bit different from me”- and said they would speak in the next 24 hours
Donald Trump has lavished praise on Keir Starmer, saying the Prime Minister has done a “very good job thus far”.
The US President said the pair get along well – despite Mr Starmer being “liberal, which is a bit different from me”. Speaking onboard Air Force One, Mr Trump told the broadcaster that he would have a phone call “over the next 24 hours” with the Prime Minister.
The warm comments from the mercurial President are at odds with the barrage of abuse aimed at Mr Starmer by Elon Musk, who holds a prominent role in Trump’s administration. The tech billionaire has used his X platform to go to war with the PM, backing calls for the King to dissolve Parliament for another election.
No10 has strenuously avoided criticising Mr Trump in public after he fired off a number of wild orders, including withdrawing from the Paris climate accords and the World Health Organisation. Ministers are also hoping to persuade him not to slap punitive trade tariffs on the UK, which would drive up prices.
“I get along with him well. I like him a lot,” Mr Trump said. “He’s liberal, which is a bit different from me, but I think he’s a very good person and I think he’s done a very good job thus far.
“He’s represented his country in terms of philosophy. I may not agree with his philosophy, but I have a very good relationship with him.”
The President said he was considering making the UK the first international trip of his second term. He told the BBC: “It could be Saudi Arabia, it could be UK. Traditionally it could be UK.”
Mr Starmer last met with Mr Trump for a two-hour dinner at Trump Tower in New York during the presidential campaign, alongside Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
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The pair also spoke on the phone following Mr Trump’s election win, with Downing Street saying both men agreed the relationship between the UK and US was “incredibly strong” and would “continue to thrive”.
Mr Starmer is expected to visit Washington within weeks, with a diplomatic push behind the scenes to secure a trip as soon as possible. But there have been warnings that he could be pipped to a coveted early visit by populist right-wing leaders like Italy’s Meloni or Hungarian leader Viktor Orban.
Theresa May was the first foreign leader to meet Mr Trump in his first term in 2017. But the visit turned into a headache for the-then PM when Mr Trump made global headlines by grabbing her hand as they walked through the White House.
