Trump and Starmer trade compliments but defend differences
But mixed in with the compliments were warnings for Starmer on energy policy, immigration, and tax, as well as a pointed attack on London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Starmer's political ally.
Explore courses from Top Institutes in
Please select course:
Select a Course Category
Artificial Intelligence
Management
MBA
Data Science
others
Leadership
MCA
Digital Marketing
healthcare
Product Management
Degree
Operations Management
Data Science
Technology
Project Management
Others
PGDM
Finance
Cybersecurity
Public Policy
Data Analytics
Design Thinking
Healthcare
CXO
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
7 Months
S P Jain Institute of Management and Research
CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
Seated side-by-side, Starmer and Trump fielded more than an hour of questions from media in a whirlwind tour of global affairs that included setting a new deadline for Russia to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine and announcing food centres to ease starvation in Gaza.
When it came to the Anglo-American relationship, Trump's often outspoken - and sometimes confrontational approach - to such media appearances was replaced with a charm offensive.
"The prime minister, he's been so supportive of us and so strong and so respected, and I respect him much more today than I did before, because I just met his wife and family. He's got a perfect wife, and that's never easy to achieve," Trump said.
Live Events
Starmer, who spoke for only a small fraction of the 72 minutes the two spent in the gaze of the world's media, reciprocated the compliments freely in what was the latest chapter of a burgeoning friendship between the two leaders, who hail from opposing sides of the political spectrum.
"It's fantastic to be here - thank you for your hospitality - and to see this amazing golf course. I'll invite you to a football ground at some stage, and we can exchange sports," Starmer joked.
DEFENDING KHAN
However, the British leader jumped in when Trump - who argued publicly with London mayor Khan during his first term as president - said Khan was doing a bad job running the British capital and called him a "nasty person".
"He's a friend of mine, I should add," Starmer interjected, before Trump continued: "I think he's done a terrible job."
Starmer listened to Trump talk about cutting immigration - an area in which the British leader is seen by the public as failing. Trump said that policy was key to his 2024 U.S. election win, alongside his promises to reduce taxes and boost the economy.
Starmer's government, only a year after winning a landslide victory, is facing a fiscal crunch caused by a stagnant economy, and many analysts expect tax increases later this year to plug the gap.
On energy, the two talked up the potential of small nuclear reactors, but set out opposing positions on other sources of power.
Trump gently urged Starmer to make more of Britain's oil and gas resources and renewed criticism of the offshore wind turbines that dot the coast near his golf course, and which form a key part of Starmer's plans for a carbon-free energy system.
"Wind is a disaster," Trump said. "It's a very expensive energy, it's a very ugly energy and we won't allow it in the United States."
Starmer replied: "We believe in a mix."
STATE VISIT
Smoothing over their differences on policy, the two looked ahead to Trump's next visit in September when he will be hosted by King Charles for a state visit.
"I hate to say it, but nobody does it like you people in terms of the pomp and ceremony," Trump said. "I'm a big fan of King Charles. I've known him for quite a while. Great guy, great person."
After accepting an invitation presented to him during Starmer's visit to the White House in February, Trump will become the first world leader in modern times to undertake two state visits to Britain.
"This is going to be a historic occasion, and we're all very much looking forward to it," Starmer said.
In May, Washington and London announced the first bilateral trade deal made in the wake of steep new tariffs on global imports imposed by Trump.
Trump's visit concludes on Tuesday, when he will open a new golf course near Aberdeen named after his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to the United States.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
20 minutes ago
- India.com
Trouble for Pakistan and China as India strikes big deal to make these highly advanced, deadly combat drones, they are..., their features...
(Image: Martin UAV) New Delhi: After Operation Sindoor, India is preparing to buy state-of-the-art combat drones. For this, the combat drone that India is considering purchasing and incorporating technology from is the V-Bat combat drone, which is manufactured by the American defence company Shield AI. This deal is being done under an emergency purchase of $ 4.5 billion, which has been launched in view of the needs after Operation Sindoor. Although India is far ahead in drone technology, but here the need is for combat drones, in which the Indian companies are currently short of money. The biggest thing is that if the deal is finalized, then these combat drones will soon be made in India itself, because talks are also going on about technology transfer from Shield AI. What is the deal the Ministry of Defence has made for combat drones? Mint has recently published a report, according to which the Ministry of Defence is in a deal for combat drones with Shield AI. India is looking to buy V-Bat combat drones from Shield AI for the Indian Air Force (IAF). These drones are for use in war and have shown very good performance so far. Once the deal is finalised, Shield AI will first give the V-Bat combat drone to the Indian Air Force, and then it will be produced in India in a joint venture. There is a plan to produce it in India in a joint venture between JSW Defence and Shield AI. JSW Defence is a company of JSW Group. What is the total amount involved in combat drones deal? According to the report, this initial deal with the Indian Air Force will be worth $ 35 million, which is the upper limit of emergency purchase. While the joint venture that JSW Defense and Shield AI will set up for technology transfer to manufacture it in India, that deal will be worth $ 90 million. Later, this deal with the Air Force can be expanded further. Why is India so keen to enhance its indigenous combat drones? If the deal between Shield AI and the Ministry of Defence is finalised, then these drones can come to the Indian Air Force in the first half of 2026. As far as the V-Bat combat drone is concerned, the production of this indigenous drone is expected by the end of 2027. If the American company is ready to set up a joint venture in India in this way in the field of defence, then it can be considered a major achievement in the field of defence manufacturing. Because, after Operation Sindoor, India is feeling a great need to be prepared for contactless war. What are the features of V-Bat Combat Drone? The speciality of Shield AI's V-Bat combat drone is that it can be used even without GPS. Not only this, it is capable of working even in jammed network systems. This can easily give an edge to those who use these drones in modern warfare. Ukraine has shocked the whole world by using this drone against Russia. These drones can hit targets with such accuracy that the drones being made in India are not as capable as these drones. In India, Idea Forge and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are currently making indigenous drones.
Indian Express
20 minutes ago
- Indian Express
IMF upgrades India's FY26 GDP growth forecast to 6.4% as trade tensions ease
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday raised its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast for India to 6.4 per cent for both 2025-26 and 2026-27 on account of easing global trade tensions, with the world economy also seen expanding at a slightly faster pace than what the multilateral organisation had predicted in April. 'In India, growth is projected to be 6.4 per cent in 2025 and 2026, with both numbers revised slightly upward, reflecting a more benign external environment than assumed in the April reference forecast,' the IMF said in an update to its World Economic Outlook report, referring to India's fiscal years that begin in 2025 and 2026. According to non-partisan policy research center The Budget Lab at Yale, US consumers faced an overall average effective tariff rate of 18.2 per cent as on July 28, down from 28 per cent on April 9. India's GDP is estimated to have increased by 6.5 per cent in 2024-25, the lowest growth rate in four years. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), meanwhile, expects the GDP to grow by another 6.5 per cent in the current fiscal, with the Indian finance ministry estimating it in the range of 6.3-6.8 per cent. For 2026-27, the RBI on April 9 had forecast a growth rate of 6.7 per cent. Back in April, the IMF had cut its growth forecasts for India by 30 basis points (bps) to 6.2 per cent for 2025-26 and by 20 bps to 6.3 per cent for 2026-27 due to 'higher levels of trade tensions and global uncertainty'. Since then, the tariff war waged by the US has eased somewhat, with IMF Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas calling the Trump administration's April actions an 'unprecedented escalation'. Moreover, global financial conditions have eased and the US dollar has weakened around 8 per cent since January, allowing the IMF to now project that the global GDP will grow 3 per cent in 2025 and 3.1 per cent in 2026, up from 2.8 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively, predicted in April. However, the IMF continued to warn that while the 'modest decline in trade tensions' had contributed to the resilience of the global economy, tariffs remain 'historically high' and global policy remains highly uncertain, with risks to the world 'firmly to the downside'. '…compared to our pre-April 2 forecast, global growth is revised downwards by 0.2pp (0.2 percentage points) this year. At around 3 per cent, global growth remains disappointingly below pre-COVID average. And we continue to project a persistent decline in global trade as a share of output despite the recent frontloading, from 57 per cent in 2024 to 53 per cent in 2030,' Gourinchas said. One percentage point is equal to 100 basis points. The other countries expected by the IMF to grow at a faster pace now in both 2025 and 2026 include the US, Canada, China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria. China, in fact, received the largest growth forecast upgrade by the IMF, with its GDP now seen expanding 4.8 per cent in 2025, up from 4 per cent predicted in April. 'This revision reflects stronger-than-expected activity in the first half of 2025 and the significant reduction in US–China tariffs. The GDP outturn in the first quarter of 2025 alone implies a mechanical upgrade to the growth rate for the year of 0.6 percentage point. A recovery in inventory accumulation is expected to partly offset payback from front-loading in the second half of 2025. Growth in 2026 is also revised upward by 0.2 percentage point to 4.2 per cent, again reflecting the lower effective tariff rates,' the IMF said. China's GDP grew 5.4 per cent and 5.2 per cent in the first two quarters of 2025, beating forecasts, and keeping the world's second largest economy on track to meet the government's full-year growth target of 5 per cent. Siddharth Upasani is a Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. He reports primarily on data and the economy, looking for trends and changes in the former which paint a picture of the latter. Before The Indian Express, he worked at Moneycontrol and financial newswire Informist (previously called Cogencis). Outside of work, sports, fantasy football, and graphic novels keep him busy. ... Read More
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Tee time with Trump: US President caps his Scotland visit by opening a new golf course
U.S. President Donald Trump cut the ribbon to his new golf course in Aberdeenshire on Tuesday (July 29) during his visit to Scotland. Accompanied by bagpipes, Trump greeted the audience as he arrived at the opening ceremony before teeing off on the Trump International Golf Links Aberdeen in Balmedie. The U.S. president is scheduled to visit the UK again in September, where he will be hosted by King Charles for a state visit. After accepting an invitation presented to him during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to the White House in February, Trump will become the first world leader in modern times to undertake two state visits to Britain. Show more Show less
