DONALD Trump and Keir Starmer have met for the first time as leaders – and it was excruciating.
The US president gave the Prime Minister one of his famous vice-like handshakes and Starmer gave a slightly bashful giggle at some inaudible bon mot from the Donald.
The pair posed awkwardly on the steps of the White House for photographs, the toty PM fairly dwarfed by Trump.
Once released from his grip, Starmer was directed by the Commander in Chief to look at the cameras, which he did dutifully.
A reporter asked Trump – not Starmer – whether he could get a peace deal in Ukraine.
Trump, with his right thumb pointing to the sky, replied: “Yes we can. We can, we will.”
President @realDonaldTrump greets @Keir_Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to the White House 🇺🇸🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/hClm0cRDGQ
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) February 27, 2025
Oddly, the BBC reported that the president did not answer, with a journalist musing that Trump must not have heard the question – despite better footage from the US government showing him answering it.
Afterwards, Starmer was taken into the belly of the beast to sit with Trump in front of the cameras for some brief remarks before lunch.
Starmer was described as a “special man” by the president, who appears to have been pleased with the Prime Minister’s obsequiousness.
He seemed especially pleased when Starmer produced a letter from the King, inviting Trump for an unprecedented second state visit to the UK.
Trump said: “We’ve had a tremendous relationship and, frankly, the Prime Minister and I have met twice before, and we get along very famously, as you would say, and I look forward to it very much.”
Pass the bucket.
