Exclusive:
Donald Trump was in his element during a joint press conference in the White House, but Mr Starmer didn’t give much away – wisely letting Mr Trump do much of the talking, says the Mirror’s political editor
Video Unavailable
Lizzy Buchan updates from Washington after Trump and Starmer meeting
It was a meeting that could have gone either way.
But Keir Starmer and Donald Trump’s high-stakes sit-down turned into a 30-minute love-in, with the US President gushing that the PM was a “special man” and they get along “famously”. I had a ringside seat for these talks in the historic Oval Office. Alongside our US counterparts, a gaggle of British journalists crammed into the back of the room to try to catch the President’s eye for a question.
The room is much smaller than it appears on TV and the noise was overwhelming at times with, people shouting and shoving their hands in the air to be called. Sitting alongside the PM, Mr Trump was in his element but Mr Starmer didn’t give much away, wisely letting Mr Trump do much of the talking.
But he had a trump card up his sleeve to get the meeting off to a good start – a signed letter from King Charles offering the US President a historic second state visit. Mr Trump is a big fan of the Royal Family, and was clearly delighted to be the first politician to be offered the Royal welcome again.
He kept praising Mr Starmer and didn’t rise to questions pointing out the contradictions in position. We were then swiftly turfed out before the real talks began.
But judging by the mood of the press conference afterwards, Mr Starmer’s charm offensive has worked – at least for now.
