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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
All the flashpoints of Trump's meeting with Starmer: From awkwardly slating the PM's 'pal' Sadiq Khan, and blasting UK's 'ugly' wind farms to claiming he 'never had the privilege' of visiting Jeffrey Epstein's infamous island
Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer 's sitdown in front of the world's media came in the ballroom of the President's Turnberry golf course - arranged to resemble the White House 's Oval Office. Mr Trump, unsurprisingly, did most of the talking as he freewheeled from subject to subject. Here we take a look at what he said. Sadiq Khan Mr Trump did not hold back in his criticism of Labour's mayor of London. When asked if he would head to the capital during his planned state visit in September, he said: 'I'm not a fan of your mayor. I think he's done a terrible job, the Mayor of London... a nasty person.' Sir Keir intervened to say: 'He's a friend of mine, actually.' But an undeterred Mr Trump went on to say: 'I think he's done a terrible job. But I would certainly visit London.' Wind turbines Mr Trump branded wind turbines 'ugly monsters' as he backed North Sea oil and gas during the press conference. He has long been outspoken about his dislike of wind power and strongly opposed an offshore development which is visible from his Aberdeenshire golf course. He said: 'Wind is the most expensive form of energy and it destroys the beauty of your fields, your plains and your waterways. Wind needs massive subsidy, and you are paying in Scotland and in the UK, and all over the place, massive subsidies to have these ugly monsters all over the place.' He urged the UK to exploit North Sea oil and gas. The Royals The President heaped praise on the Royal Family as 'really great people'. Mr Trump, who is known to admire the monarchy, said the UK is 'very lucky' to have the royals, before adding: 'You could have people that weren't great people.' Despite Mr Trump's 'drill, baby, drill' slogan aimed at ramping up fossil fuel extraction, he applauded the King's environmentalism. 'King Charles is an environmentalist, I will tell you. I say that in a positive way, not a negative way. Every time I've met with him he talked about the environment and how important it is and I'm all for it - I think that's great.' Starmer's wife Before the ballroom engagement, Sir Keir and Mr Trump embraced on the Turnberry steps as the Prime Minister arrived with his wife, Lady Starmer. In slightly farcical scenes, an off-the-cuff to-and-fro with the gathered media was partly drowned out by the bagpiper. But the President did make himself heard when he said he wanted to make the PM 'happy', and then, referring to Lady Starmer, said: 'She's a respected person all over the United States. I don't know what he's (Sir Keir) doing but she's very respected, as respected as him. 'I don't want to say more, I'll get myself in trouble. But she's very, she's a great woman and is very highly respected.' Farms The President appeared to criticise Labour's inheritance tax on farmers. While he did not directly mention Sir Keir's reforms to agricultural property relief, he said farmers in the US had been driven to suicide by taxes and noted that he had acted to remove levies on farmland estates, adding: 'I love our farmers.' 'They don't make a lot of money but it's a way of life and they love that dirt,' he said. Defending the policy, Sir Keir said he was trying to increase farmers' income. Epstein and Maxwell Donald Trump said he'd 'never had the privilege' of going to Jeffrey Epstein's infamous island, where sordid underage sex parties took place, attended by the rich and powerful. Epstein, he said, was 'always a very controversial guy' but he hit back at claims he had sent a suggestive birthday note to the paedophile financier, featuring the outline of a naked woman. 'I never went to the island [Little St James in the US Virgin Islands],' Mr Trump said. 'And Bill Clinton went there, supposedly, 28 times. I never went to the island... I never had the privilege. I did turn it down.' Mr Clinton has said he 'knows nothing' about Epstein's crimes, while his aides have denied he ever went to Little St James. Asked about the clamour to release the Epstein files in the possession of the FBI and in which he is said to be named, the President said: 'It's a hoax that's been built up way beyond proportion.' Of the reported birthday note, he said: 'I'm not a drawing person. I don't do drawings of women, that I can tell you.' Mr Trump also said he had not been asked to pardon Epstein madam Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite currently serving 20 years in a US prison over child sex trafficking offences. Trade with the UK Mr Trump suggested that the UK will know 'pretty soon' what tariffs will be placed on steel. He said the US wants to 'make our own steel' but did not say whether levies on UK exports will remain at the current 25 per cent, be cut or even increased. He also hinted that he may not impose heavy tariffs on British pharmaceuticals because he said he could do a deal with the UK. He said he felt a 'lot better' working with Britain than other countries. He added: 'With the relationship we have, you would not use that as a cudgel. You wouldn't be using it as a block.' Free speech Sir Keir defended the Online Safety Act following questions about whether it censored online content. The Prime Minister said that the laws were there to protect children rather than curbing freedom of speech. Last week, the law changed to require websites to check users are over 18 before allowing them to access 'harmful' material such as pornography or suicide material, with heavy fines for those that do not comply. Told that Sir Keir now has the power to censor the President's Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said: 'If you censor me, you're making a mistake.' Sir Keir replied: 'We're not censoring anyone. We've got some measures which are there to protect children, in particular, from sites like suicide sites.' He added: 'I don't see that as a free speech issue - I see that as child protection.' Love of Scotland Mr Trump spoke of his 'great love' for Scotland, as he vowed to return to the country 'once a year' for a visit. Mr Trump's mother, Mary Anne, was born in the Outer Hebrides on the Isle of Lewis. He said: 'It gives me a feeling, you know it's different, you go to another country, you have no relationship to it... but it's different when your mother was born here.' Mr Trump was asked about Scottish trade with the US, and whether there could be a different deal for products such as whisky. He replied: 'I was very particular, this is a part of the world I want to see thrive.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Awkward moment Trump and UK's Prime Minister clash over their very different relationships with London's controversial mayor
President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had an awkward moment Monday when the U.S. president started trashing the mayor of London. Trump was hosting Starmer at this Turnberry golf club in Turnberry, Scotland, with the two men traveling aboard Air Force One together to Trump's Aberdeenshire golf club as well. After this week's trip, the president will return to the United Kingdom in September for an official state visit with King Charles at Windsor Castle, located outside of London in Windsor, England. The president was asked by a reporter if he planned to visit London as well. 'I will, I'm not a fan of your mayor,' Trump volunteered. 'I think he's done a terrible job. The mayor of London, but a - a nasty person.' Starmer then interjected. 'He's a friend of mine,' the British prime minister said of London Mayor Sadiq Khan. 'No, I think he's done a terrible job,' Trump continued. 'But I would certainly visit London.' Khan has been mayor of London since 2016 - holding the job throughout Trump's first term in office. They've sparred throughout that time. In 2018, when Trump was visiting London, Khan allowed demonstrators to fly a 'Trump baby' balloon over the city. The giant inflatable, which portrayed Trump in a diaper, was flown over the Houses of Parliament. More recently, Khan expressed his displeasure at Trump's reelection. 'The lesson of today is that progress is not inevitable,' he said on the heels of Trump's November victory. He later trolled the Republican by inviting him to attend Pride in London and suggested Trump attend Friday prayers with him. Khan is Muslim but floated that Trump join him at a 'Hindu temple, or a Sikh gurdwara, or a Jewish synagogue.' In an interview with the High Performance podcast in mid-November, Khan claimed that Trump's distaste for him is due to the mayor's skin color and religion. 'It's personal, let's be frank. If I wasn't this color skin, if I wasn't a practicing Muslim, he wouldn't have come for me,' Khan said. 'He wasn't coming for me because I'm five foot six. He's coming for me because of – let's be frank – my ethnicity and my religion, so it's incredibly personal to me.' 'It affects me, my family. What worries me though, it's not about me and my family – it's about the fact that he's the leader of the free world,' the mayor added. In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for Khan said that 'Sadiq is delighted that President Trump wants to come to the greatest city in the world.' 'He'd see how our diversity makes us stronger, not weaker; richer, not poorer,' the spokesperson continued. 'Perhaps these are the reasons why a record number of Americans have applied for British citizenship under his presidency,' the mayor's spokesperson trolled.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trump and Starmer clash over Sadiq Khan
Published: Updated: President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had an awkward moment Monday when the U.S. president started trashing the mayor of London . Trump was hosting Starmer at this Turnberry golf club in Turnberry, Scotland, with the two men traveling aboard Air Force One together to Trump's Aberdeenshire golf club as well. After this week's trip, the president will return to the United Kingdom in September for an official state visit with King Charles at Windsor Castle , located outside of London in Windsor, England. The president was asked by a reporter if he planned to visit London as well. 'I will, I'm not a fan of your mayor,' Trump volunteered. 'I think he's done a terrible job. The mayor of London, but a - a nasty person.' Starmer then interjected. 'He's a friend of mine,' the British prime minister said of London Mayor Sadiq Khan. 'No, I think he's done a terrible job,' Trump continued. 'But I would certainly visit London.' Khan has been mayor of London since 2016 - holding the job throughout Trump's first term in office. 'The lesson of today is that progress is not inevitable,' he said on the heels of Trump's November victory. He later trolled the Republican by inviting him to attend Pride in London and suggested Trump attend Friday prayers with him. Khan is Muslim but floated that Trump join him at a 'Hindu temple, or a Sikh gurdwara, or a Jewish synagogue.' In an interview with the High Performance podcast in mid-November , Khan claimed that Trump's distaste for him is due to the mayor's skin color and religion. 'It's personal, let's be frank. If I wasn't this color skin, if I wasn't a practicing Muslim, he wouldn't have come for me,' Khan said. 'He wasn't coming for me because I'm five foot six. He's coming for me because of – let's be frank – my ethnicity and my religion, so it's incredibly personal to me.' 'It affects me, my family. What worries me though, it's not about me and my family – it's about the fact that he's the leader of the free world,' the mayor added. In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for Khan said that 'Sadiq is delighted that President Trump wants to come to the greatest city in the world.' 'He'd see how our diversity makes us stronger, not weaker; richer, not poorer,' the spokesperson continued. 'Perhaps these are the reasons why a record number of Americans have applied for British citizenship under his presidency,' the mayor's spokesperson trolled.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump brands Khan a ‘nasty person' as Starmer jumps to Mayor's defence
Donald Trump has described Sir Sadiq Khan as a 'nasty person' who has done 'a terrible job', as Sir Keir Starmer jumped to his defence. The US President said he was 'not a fan' of London's Labour Mayor, when asked if he will visit the UK's capital city. Speaking to reporters at his Turnberry golf resort in South Ayrshire, Mr Trump said: 'I'm not a fan of your mayor. 'I think he's done a terrible job, the Mayor of London … a nasty person.' The Prime Minister intervened to say: 'He's a friend of mine, actually.' Mr Trump went on to add: 'I think he's done a terrible job. But I would certainly visit London.' In response to comments made by Mr Trump during a press conference on Monday, a spokesperson for the Mayor said: 'Sadiq is delighted that President Trump wants to come to the greatest city in the world. 'He'd see how our diversity makes us stronger not weaker; richer, not poorer. 'Perhaps these are the reasons why a record number of Americans have applied for British citizenship under his presidency.' This is not the first time the president has hit out at Sir Sadiq after he previously branded him a 'stone cold loser' and challenged him to an IQ test. Sir Sadiq has also previously described Mr Trump as 'a poster boy for racists'.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Keir Starmer jumps in to defend Sadiq Khan from Donald Trump's ‘nasty' accusation
Donald Trump hit out at London's mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, describing him as a 'nasty person' before Sir Keir Starmer jumped in to defend his friend. During a press conference in Scotland on Monday (28 July), the US president said when asked if he would be visiting the capital during his state visit later this year: "I'm not a fan of your mayor. I think he's done a terrible job, the Mayor of London… a nasty person.' Jumping to the Labour mayor's defence, the prime minister intervened to say: "He's a friend of mine, actually.' Mr Trump added that he would "certainly visit London."
