7 biggest moments from Donald Trump's talks with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer

All eyes were on UK prime minister Keir Starmer as he visited US president Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday (February 27).

The two leaders discussed everything from trade, Ukraine, a second "unprecedented" UK state visit for Trump after Starmer delivered him the invite from King Charles, as well as Starmer's "beautiful" British accent and "great" wife.

Signs point towards the two countries securing a US-UK trade deal without tariffs, though the matter over Ukraine remains uncertain.

Here are the seven biggest moments from Trump and Starmer's meeting:

Trump signals 'very good chance' of trade deal with UK

Photo by Carl Court - Pool/Getty Images)

In their discussion, the US president kept saying there is a "very good chance” that the two countries will reach a good deal as Trump said, “the people are working on it... it could be terrific for both countries”.

“I think we’ll have two deals,” he added, “a deal on ending the war [in Ukraine] and a great trade deal with you [the UK]”.

However, Starmer didn't secure key concessions over Ukraine in this White House visit.

Trump's complimentary remarks to Starmer

During their discussion, Starmer was keen to persuade Trump not to slap trade tariffs on the UK, to which Trump praised the PM as a "tough negotiator."

"He was working hard, I'll tell you that," the president said at their joint press conference.

"He earned whatever the hell they pay him over there, but he tried.

"I think there's a very good chance that in the case of these two great, friendly countries, I think we could very well end up with a real trade deal where the tariffs wouldn't be necessary. We'll see."

Starmer's charm offensive and King Charles's letter

In their sit-down talk in front of the media, Starmer passed on a letter from King Charles III inviting Trump for an "unprecedented" second state visit and suggesting this take place in Scotland.

The letter appeared to surprise Trump, who asked, "Am I supposed to read it right now?"

After reading the letter, the president accepted the invite and noted it would be an "honour" to visit the "fantastic" country and also called King Charles a "beautiful man."

Previously, the late Queen Elizabeth welcomed Trump for a three-day state visit in June 2019 during his first term in office.

Starmer raises the issue of Canada, Trump moves on quickly

Trump shut down White House correspondent at The Independent, Andrew Feinberg, when he asked Starmer about the president’s wish to make Canada the 51st state.

"You mentioned Canada, I think you’re trying to find a divide that doesn’t exist," Starmer replied, to which Trump then said: "That's enough."

Later, the White House accused Feinberg of “trying to goad the leaders into division” and added that Trump was not cutting off Starmer's speaking, according to a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

Starmer's accent

Full of praise, Trump declared he loved Starmer's British accent at their joint press conference: "What a beautiful accent. I would've been President 20 years ago if I had that accent."

Starmer corrects Trump

Similar to French president Emmanuel Macron's visit, Starmer also had to correct Trump on his false claim that European countries "get their money back from Ukraine."

"Mainly it was gifted, actually," Starmer interjected to clarify.

Trump compliments Starmer's wife

At their Oval Office talk, Trump praised the PM's wife, Victoria Starmer.

"I'm very impressed with the Prime Minister's wife, she is a beautiful great woman," he said.

"I second that," Starmer replied.

Elsewhere, Donald Trump's plans for his $5m gold card simply don't add up, and Trump's claim about the EU shows how little he knows about history.

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