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The U.S. president hasn’t held back after Keir Starmer disappointed him in the Middle East.
LONDON — So much for the special relationship.
Donald Trump and Keir Starmer’s most unlikely of bromances came to a dramatic end after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran. Britain’s center-left government has refused to get involved in offensive operations, with Starmer questioning Trump’s plan for the war and only allowing the use of U.K. airbases for defensive purposes.
That’s left the U.S. president distinctly unimpressed — and he’s now pointing barbs at Starmer on a near-daily basis. POLITICO decided to keep track of the weapons-grade dunking, so you don’t have to.
1) ‘Very disappointed’
The U.S. president gave off the demeanor of a frustrated parent when he told the Telegraph he was “very disappointed” Britain hadn’t let the U.S. use the joint Diego Garcia airbase to strike Iran.
Though Britain later allowed its use for limited purposes, Trump said Starmer took “took far too long” and “that’s probably never happened between our countries before.” Scholars of the Vietnam war may beg to differ.
2) ‘Not like it used to be’
Spoken like a former flame, Trump despaired that the alliance between the two countries was “not like it used to be,” telling the Sun the breakdown has been “very sad.”
In possibly the most cutting of his swipes, Trump remarked “this was the most solid relationship of all. And now we have very strong relationships with other countries in Europe.” Ouch.
3) ‘Not Winston Churchill’
Speaking in the Oval Office, where a bust of the wartime leader is on display, the U.S. president declared of Starmer “this is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with” and said the present times were “not the age of Churchill.”
It’s a line he’s repeated several times since.
4) ‘You don’t have a team’
The U.S. president took aim at Starmer’s penchant for consulting his top officials before acting. Speaking at a press conference, Trump said he’d told Starmer: “You don’t have to worry about a team. You don’t have a team. You’re the prime minister. You can make a decision.”
5) ‘Toys‘
Addressing a White House Cabinet meeting (in front of the cameras, natch), the U.S. president dismissed the U.K.’s aircraft carriers as “toys compared to what we have.”
Trump also told the U.K. “don’t bother” sending the carriers as “we don’t need it.” Charmed, I’m sure.
6) ‘Scary, scary, wonderful president‘
Trump rubbed salt in the wounds by sharing a Saturday Night Live U.K. skit which showed a terrified Starmer (portrayed by George Fouracres) worrying about how to how to handle the U.S. president in a phone call.
“Oh golly — what if Donald shouts at me? What do I say?,” the fake Starmer fretted.
The not-PM’s brief chat with Trump ends with him hanging up: “Oh sod that scary, scary, wonderful president. Why is he so bloody difficult to talk to?”