Donald Trump launched more broadsides at Keir Starmer today for refusing to help with the Iran war.
The US president branded the PM ‘disappointing’ in his latest free-form press conference in the Oval Office.
He renewed his attack that Sir Keir is ‘no Churchill’ – pointing to a sculpture of the wartime premier on the table.
Mr Trump again claimed that Sir Keir offered to send two aircraft carriers to the Middle East, something the UK denies.
The president also widened his criticism to include Labour’s ‘disastrous’ immigration policy and fondness for wind turbines, which he said ‘kill birds’.
Donald Trump branded the PM ‘disappointing’ in his latest free-form press conference in the Oval Office
Keir Starmer hosted Volodymyr Zelensky and Nato chief Mark Rutte in Downing Street this afternoon as the US president’s wrath grew
The brickbats came at a media call with Irish PM Micheal Martin in Washington DC this afternoon.
Mr Trump’s frustration has become increasingly evident as European powers bat away his calls to send warships to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
Around a fifth of global oil supplies typically pass through the channel, but Iran has been managing to keep it effectively shut with missile and drone strikes.
Sir Keir insisted yesterday that the UK would not get dragged into a ‘wider war’ after the US and Israel launched attacks.
France and Germany have also dismissed the idea of taking an active role while conflict is raging.
The PM – who hosted Volodymyr Zelensky in Downing Street today – has stressed the importance of keeping the focus on Ukraine’s campaign against Russian invasion.
In his latest hokey-cokey shift on calls for assistance from allies, Mr Trump insisted America did not need any help this afternoon.
Asked whether the clashes had damaged his relationship with Sir Keir, Mr Trump said: ‘Well, he hasn’t been supportive, and I think it’s a big mistake. You know, they make a lot of money on trade with the United States. I went out of my way. As you know, they couldn’t make a deal with Biden, because they had no real administration to make a deal, Biden.
‘But we made a deal. We made a good deal for them and, frankly, probably wasn’t appreciated.
‘I do look forward to seeing the King. He’s going to be coming, as you know, very shortly, but, no, I was disappointed, because Keir was willing to send two aircraft carriers after we won, because essentially… there’s no threat for the aircraft carriers right now.
‘And I said, no, no, we want things sent before the war, not after the war is won.
‘So, yeah, I’m disappointed with Keir. I like him, I think he’s a nice man, but I’m disappointed.’
Mr Trump then repeated his assertion that ‘unfortunately Keir is no Winston Churchill’.
France has flatly rejected the demand for a ‘joint effort’ in restoring the channel.
‘We are not a party to the conflict and therefore France will never take part in operations to open or liberate the Strait of Hormuz in the current context,’ Macron said following Trump’s request that allies help secure the crucial artery, effectively shut by Iran in response to US-Israeli strikes.
‘However, we are convinced that once the situation becomes calmer… we are ready, alongside other nations, to take responsibility for an escort system.’
In a furious post on Truth Social, Trump hit back at NATO’s rejection, calling the alliance a ‘one way street’ and declaring ‘we no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID!’
Confronted with Mr Macron’s comments this afternoon, Mr Trump declared: ‘He’ll be out of office very soon.’
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ‘it would be in the interest of everybody if this war stops’, adding: ‘The problem with wars is that it’s easier to start than to stop them, and it always gets out of hand.’
‘We have been consulting with regional countries like the Gulf countries, Jordan, Egypt, (about) whether we could also bring forward proposals for Iran, Israel and the US to get out of this situation so that everybody saves face,’ she said in an interview with Reuters.
Israel claimed it had killed two high-ranking Iranian commanders overnight.
But there have been claims that even Mr Trump’s inner circle is growing concerned about the progress of the campaign.
Thirteen US troops have been killed in the conflict, with more than 200 injured across seven countries. And the consequences of the energy price spike will be fel around the world, including the US.
‘We clearly just kicked [Iran’s] a** in the field, but, to a large extent, they hold the cards now,’ a White House source told Politico.
‘They decide how long we’re involved, and they decide if we put boots on the ground. And it doesn’t seem to me that there’s a way around that, if we want to save face.’
Some allies fear Trump risks being dragged into an open-ended conflict just as the midterm elections approach, with the escalating war threatening to drive up the cost of living for voters already furious about affordability.
‘The terms have changed,’ said a second person familiar with the military operation. ‘The off-ramps don’t work anymore because Iran is driving the asymmetric action.’
The war has also caused a schism between top allies within Trump’s MAGA movement, including Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, as the President has argued for years against regime-change wars in the Middle East.
