Donald Trump awkwardly joked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer about hanging his country out to dry in a war against Russia, leaving the close U.S. ally speechless.
During a joint press conference Thursday, Starmer was describing the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom as “the greatest alliance for prosperity and security” that the world had ever seen.
“Whenever necessary, we’ve absolutely backed each other up—” Starmer said, before the president interjected.
“Could you take on Russia by yourselves?” Trump asked, turning to Starmer.
“Well, heh,” said Starmer laughing. Trump broke into a smile, laughing along with the press.
“Alright, one or two more,” Trump said, changing the subject.
Trump’s unsettling joke comes as the all-too-eager U.S. president and Russian President Vladimir Putin cozy up together, amid high-stakes negotiations to end Russia’s deadly invasion of Ukraine—showing just how willing the Trump administration is to throw its allies to the dogs at Moscow’s command.
Starmer’s visit led to several bumpy moments between the two world leaders. At one point, Trump hinted at a tense discussion between himself and Starmer. “You’ve been terrific in our discussions. You’re a very tough negotiator, however. I’m not sure I like that—but that’s OK,” Trump said.
At another point, when asked to respond to Trump’s comments about making Canada the fifty-first state, Starmer tried to reply, before being forcefully cut off by the president.
“You mentioned Canada. I think you’re trying to find a divide between us that doesn’t exist,” Starmer said. “We’re the closest of nations, and we had very good discussions today, but we didn’t—”
“That’s enough,” Trump interjected. “That’s enough. Thank you.”
Last month, Elon Musk set his sights on unseating Starmer, consulting with his right-wing allies to devise a strategy to oust the Labour Party’s leader.
