When asked after their meeting if Starmer had convinced Trump to exempt the UK from tariffs, Trump laughed: "He tried.
But Starmer brought with him a secret weapon to meet the challenge — a shiny object in the form of a personal letter from King Charles inviting Trump for a second state visit to the UK.
The British prime minister had to press Donald Trump to exempt the UK from import tariffs, draw him closer to Europe on a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, and convince him that the Chagos Islands are real.
The king is head of state of Canada, which the US president has repeatedly said should give up its independence and become the 51st state of the USA] “He's a beautiful man, a wonderful man – I've gotten to know him very well, actually, first term and now second term,” he said of the King.
Trump signaled he would back Starmer’s controversial deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, including the Diego Garcia military base, which is jointly used by the US.
