Donald Trump labelled Sir Keir Starmer as a “tax cutter” and said he did a “great thing with the economy” ahead of their meeting at Turnberry.
Mr Trump spoke of his “great love” for Scotland and said he wanted to see the nation “thrive” ahead of his discussions with the Prime Minister that were expected to focus on Gaza and trade.
The American leader attacked Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan as a “nasty person” and hailed both Sir Keir and Nigel Farage as “great men” as the leaders took a series of questions across domestic and foreign affairs.
The president also indicated that the US may not impose heavy tariffs on British pharmaceuticals, telling reporters that “we certainly feel a lot better” about the UK working on drugs that will be sold in the States compared to other nations.
Mr Trump and Sir Keir took questions for more than an hour in a meandering press conference ahead of their meeting at Turnberry on Tuesday afternoon.
Referring to the Prime Minister and the Reform UK leader, the US president said: “I happen to like both men. I like this man (Sir Keir) a lot, and I like Nigel.
“And, you know, I don’t know the politics over here. I don’t know where they stand. I would say one is slightly liberal – not that liberal, slightly – and the other one is slightly conservative, but they’re they’re both good men.”
He added: “(Sir Keir) did a great thing with the economy, because a lot of money is going to come in because of the deal that was made. But I think that, I think that immigration is now bigger than ever before.”
The president had earlier said that he thinks Sir Keir, who has been in office for more than a year, will be “a tax cutter.”
The two leaders were expected to discuss trade as part of their meeting, weeks after Mr Trump unveiled a new tariff regime for goods entering the US from other nations.
Asked by reporters whether his plans for an import levy on medicines would affect the UK, the US president told reporters: “We will be announcing on pharmaceuticals some time in the very near future. We have a very big plan on pharmaceuticals.
“We want to bring a lot of the pharmaceuticals back to America, where they should be.”
He later added: “You also have a good pharmaceutical business – we’ll be dealing with you on pharmaceuticals also – and we certainly feel a lot better with your country working on pharmaceuticals for America than some of the other countries that were … with the relationship we have, you would not use that as a cudgel. You wouldn’t be using it as a block.”
During the same press conference, Mr Trump described the Labour London mayor Sir Sadiq as a “nasty person” who has done “a terrible job”, while Sir Keir jumped to his defence.
Speaking to reporters, the US president said: “I’m not a fan of your mayor. I think he’s done a terrible job, the Mayor of London … a nasty person.”
The Prime Minister intervened to say: “He’s a friend of mine, actually.”
The question session inside the President’s Turnberry resort came after he suggested that the UK is “doing a fantastic thing” in trying to reduce immigration via small boat crossings.
Mr Trump said he knows “nothing about the boats” when asked about the issue but said “my hats are off to you” if the UK is trying to reduce immigration.
Sir Keir and his wife Lady Starmer were greeted by the President and a chorus of bagpipes as they arrived in South Ayrshire on Monday.
When Mr Trump was asked about how he would deal with small boats, Sir Keir explained that it refers to people who are crossing the Channel.
Mr Trump told reporters: “If you’re stopping immigration and stopping the wrong people … my hats are off to you. You’re doing, not a good thing, you’re doing a fantastic thing.
“So, I know nothing about the boats, but if the boats are loaded up with bad people, and they usually are, because, you know, other countries don’t send their best, they send people that they don’t want, and they’re not stupid people, and they send the people that they don’t want.”
Turning to the Prime Minister, Mr Trump added: “And I’ve heard that you’ve taken a much stronger stance on this.”
The latest data from the Home Office indicates that 122 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Saturday.
Asked about tariffs on whisky, Mr Trump said: “We’ll talk about that, I didn’t know whisky was a problem. I’m not a big whisky drinker but maybe I should be.”
And he said of the special relationship: “Our relationship is unparalleled.”
The meeting between the leaders comes as part of Mr Trump’s five-day, private trip to Scotland.
No 10 said they reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and agreed to continue talks on the UK-US trade deal during their private talks at Turnberry.
They also discussed plans for the president’s upcoming state visit in September, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
