Trump gushes at invite from the King of Canada as Starmer charms president in the Oval Office
SKETCH: The British prime minister is not known for his charm, but he brought a secret weapon with him to disarm Trump, writes Richard Hall
Keir Starmer came to the White House with a list of daunting objectives.
The British prime minister had to press Donald Trump to exempt the UK from import tariffs, draw him closer to Europe on a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, and convince him that the Chagos Islands are real.
Success would require an abundance of charm, which is not something the prime minister, a former human rights lawyer, is particularly known for.
But Starmer brought with him a secret weapon to meet the challenge — a shiny object in the form of a personal letter from King Charles inviting Trump for a second state visit to the UK. In a masterful piece of Royal diplomacy, the British prime minister presented the document to Trump just minutes after sitting down in the Oval Office, along with the King’s best wishes.
“This is really special. This has never happened before. This is unprecedented,” Starmer insisted, pressing on Trump’s shoulder as if he were handing over a new toy to a toddler.
“This is truly historic,” he continued.
Trump appeared charmed by the honor and immediately accepted the invitation before anyone could point out that Charles is also the reigning monarch of Canada, a country that he is threatening to annex.
“He's a beautiful man, a wonderful man – I've gotten to know him very well, actually, first term and now second term,” he said of the King.
There were questions about which Keir Starmer would show up to meet Trump on Thursday. Some may have been hoping for him to channel Hugh Grant’s character in Love Actually, a British prime minister who stands up against a bullying American president. Others may have feared he might instead come as that other well-known British character, a dithering Mr Bean, and capitulate entirely.
In the end, he was neither. Starmer instead drew from deep wells of British politeness, flattery and tact to disarm Trump. The letter from King Charles was a canny ploy that was followed by an avalanche of deference and kind words. Obsequious at times, perhaps, but deployed strategically.
Trump appeared to show genuine affection for the United Kingdom, and for Starmer, too.
“We've known each other now for a little while. This is not our first meeting. He loves his country. And so, that's our common theme. He loves his country. And I love our country,” Trump said.
“And we also have two countries that have gotten along for the longest period of time. Number one ally on each side. We have France, Australia, a lot of good ones — but we've had a long-time relationship, a long time, hundreds of years."
It was a stark difference in tone from Emmanuel Macron’s visit just days earlier, when the French president tried to meet Trump’s alpha energy to the extent that he apparently left bruises on his hand.
At a time when the president has shown a willingness to disregard old alliances, Starmer’s charm offensive appeared to work.
Trump signaled he would back Starmer’s controversial deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, including the Diego Garcia military base, which is jointly used by the US.
“I have a feeling it's going to work out very well. They're talking about a very long-term, powerful lease, a very strong lease, about 140 years. Actually, it's a long time. And I think we'll be inclined to go along with your country,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
The president also seemed to soften on the idea of imposing tariffs on the UK, saying he would "have to take a look" at the issue after threatening them previously.
When asked after their meeting if Starmer had convinced Trump to exempt the UK from tariffs, Trump laughed: "He tried. He was working hard, I'll tell you that. He earned whatever the hell they pay him over there... He was working hard at lunch."
There were only brief moments of tension. JD Vance, Trump’s anger translator, played the bad cop as he criticized the UK for “infringements on free speech,” which he claimed affected “American technology companies and by extension American citizens.”
Starmer responded tersely: “We’ve had free speech for a very, very long time in the United Kingdom and it will last for a very, very long time.”
“I’m very proud of our history there,” he added.
Starmer continued to flatter the president on Ukraine, commending Trump for “changing the conversation” as he pushes for a peace deal.
But he also challenged Trump, as Macron had done during his visit, on his claims about Europe’s contributions to Ukraine’s defense.
“You know, they get their money back, we don't get the money back. Biden made a deal. He put in $350 billion and I thought it was a very unfair situation,” Trump said.
Starmer interjected: “We're not getting all of ours [back]. I mean, quite a bit of ours was gifted. It was given. There were some loans, but mainly it was gifted.”
And while Trump has done much to back away from the US commitments to NATO in recent years, he suggested that the US would back the UK if Russia were to attack.
“I've always found about the British, they don't need much help,” he said.
“They can take care of themselves very well. The British are, have been, incredible soldiers, incredible military, and they can take care of themselves, but if they need help, I'll always be with the British,” Trump said.
It remains unclear, however, if Trump will demand the United Kingdom hand over its natural resources in return for that protection.
At a joint press conference following the two leaders’ meeting, The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg pressed prime minister Starmer on Trump’s repeated declarations that he intends to make Canada the 51st State, enquiring if the King had expressed any concern about the potential loss of one of his realms.
“I think you're trying to find a divide between us that doesn't exist. We're the closest of nations and we had very good discussions today, but we didn't discuss Canada,” Starmer replied.
Trump was slightly more blunt on the matter.
“That’s enough out of you,” he told The Independent.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments