President Donald Trump has praised British prime minister Keir Starmer’s leadership, telling reporters on Saturday his UK counterpart has “done a very good job” and the two leaders have a planned call in the next 24 hours.
The newly inaugurated US president told reporters on board Air Force One that he and Starmer “get along well” despite their divergent political views.
“He’s liberal, which is a bit different from me, but I think he’s a very good person and I think he’s done a very good job thus far,” said Trump, as reported by the BBC.
“He’s represented his country in terms of philosophy … “I may not agree with his philosophy, but I have a very good relationship with him.”
Trump made the comments during a visit to the press room on board the presidential plane on Saturday.
The US president was asked about his relationship with Starmer after responding to a question about the location of his first international trip, which he said “could be Saudi Arabia”.
Trump said that the last time he traveled to Saudi Arabia it was because the Arab kingdom agreed to buy billions of dollars worth of US merchandise.
“If that offer were right, I’d do that again,” he said.
Foreign secretary David Lammy suggested earlier this month that Starmer would visit Washington for talks with Trump within weeks.
Starmer’s chief of staff travelled to the US for talks with Donald Trump’s then incoming White House team last December, with a senior Downing Street source telling the Telegraph “the mood music was very warm” and Trump “is nothing but warm about the UK”.
The comments come as a major UK poll found that voters favoured the UK moving closer to Europe, rather than Washington.
Starmer has previously rejected the idea that UK must choose between the United States and Europe, arguing that it is in the national interest to work with both.
The prime minister said last December that the UK would “never turn away” from its relationship with the US, despite the difficulties the new administration could pose, as it had been the “cornerstone” of security and prosperity for over a century.
From the Russia-Ukraine war and possible trade tariffs to differences over climate change and China, the US-UK “special relationship” could face hurdles in the next four years.
Added to the mix, observers say, is Trump’s unpredictable nature and recent verbal attacks on Starmer by Trump ally Elon Musk.