Starmer
doing a ‘very good job’ says Trump ahead of planned call between the two
leaders
The newly
inaugurated US president told reporters on board Air Force One that he and
Starmer ‘get along well’ despite their divergent political views
Guardian
staff and agencies
Sun 26 Jan
2025 05.31 GMT
President
Donald Trump has praised British prime minister Keir Starmer’s leadership,
telling reporters on Saturday his UK counterpart has “done a very good job” and
the two leaders have a planned call in the next 24 hours.
The newly
inaugurated US president told reporters on board Air Force One that he and
Starmer “get along well” despite their divergent political views.
“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,” said Trump, as reported by the
BBC.
“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.”
Trump made
the comments during a visit to the press room on board the presidential plane
on Saturday.
The US
president was asked about his relationship with Starmer after responding to a
question about the location of his first international trip, which he said
“could be Saudi Arabia”.
Trump said
that the last time he traveled to Saudi Arabia it was because the Arab kingdom
agreed to buy billions of dollars worth of US merchandise.
“If that
offer were right, I’d do that again,” he said.
Foreign
secretary David Lammy suggested earlier this month that Starmer would visit
Washington for talks with Trump within weeks.
Starmer’s
chief of staff travelled to the US for talks with Donald Trump’s then incoming
White House team last December, with a senior Downing Street source telling the
Telegraph “the mood music was very warm” and Trump “is nothing but warm about
the UK”.
The comments
come as a major UK poll found that voters favoured the UK moving closer to
Europe, rather than Washington.
Starmer has
previously rejected the idea that UK must choose between the United States and
Europe, arguing that it is in the national interest to work with both.
The prime
minister said last December that the UK would “never turn away” from its
relationship with the US, despite the difficulties the new administration could
pose, as it had been the “cornerstone” of security and prosperity for over a
century.
From the
Russia-Ukraine war and possible trade tariffs to differences over climate
change and China, the US-UK “special relationship” could face hurdles in the
next four years.
Added to the
mix, observers say, is Trump’s unpredictable nature and recent verbal attacks
on Starmer by Trump ally Elon Musk.
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