Keir Starmer, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, didn't have much choice but to offer up an uncomfortable response to Donald Trump after the president described the Mayor of London as a 'nasty person'.
Trump is currently over in Scotland, where he's meeting with Prime Minister Starmer to discuss issues including tariffs, the crisis in Gaza and the war between Russia and Ukraine.
During their discussions, the president assured Starmer that he 'liked' him, though he noted he was also a fan of the leader of the Reform UK party, Nigel Farage.
He said: “I happen to like both men. I like this man (Sir Keir) a lot, and I like Nigel.
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“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.”
But one politician who didn't receive the same praise was London's Labour Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, who has been the Mayor of London since 2016.
In fact, Trump went as far as to describe Khan as a 'nasty person'.
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Sharing his honest thoughts on the mayor, he said: “I’m not a fan of your mayor. I think he’s done a terrible job, the mayor of London… a nasty person.”
Unfortunately, this comment put Starmer in an awkward position as he admitted that he didn't feel the same way. In fact, he had to make clear that he's actually pals with the mayor.
Starmer laughed awkwardly as he reached a hand out towards Trump to interrupt him, and said: “He’s a friend of mine, actually.”
This admission did nothing to change Trump's mind, though, as he continued: "I think he’s done a terrible job. But I would certainly visit London.”
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Trump's visit to the UK will not include an address to Parliament on this occasion, with Starmer saying the visit would be an 'unprecedented and very special state visit' which includes 'many elements of it that have never been seen before'.
Farage has previously criticized the fact Trump will not be addressing Parliament, to which Trump said: “Well, I like Nigel. I mean, Nigel is a friend of mine. Nigel has done very well. He’s a friend of mine, and Keir is a friend of mine.”
The POTUS continued: “As far as Parliament, if he wants me to speak in Parliament, I’ll do it. But it doesn’t have to be then, it could be some other time. Maybe we should save it for another time.”
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In response to the comments Trump made about Khan, a spokesperson for the mayor said: “Sadiq is delighted that President Trump wants to come to the greatest city in the world.
“He’d see how our diversity makes us stronger not weaker; richer, not poorer. Perhaps these are the reasons why a record number of Americans have applied for British citizenship under his presidency.”
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, UK News
Emily Brown