LONDON — President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer take to the world stage today as political opposites but personal friends — the two forming a genuine bond that has given advisers hope for progress on the many thorny issues on the table.
Multiple White House officials described the relationship between the two leaders to POLITICO, painting a picture of an unlikely duo where each moderates the other’s views.
“There are people who say that Starmer is more liberal, President Trump is more conservative. But meanwhile, they both share a view about how to work together. And the president is very open to listening to Starmer’s views, irrespective of political ideology,” Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, told POLITICO in an exclusive interview from the U.K. trip.
Starmer’s unexpectedly warm relationship offers a model for European leaders desperate to keep Trump in their good graces as they push for greater cooperation on Ukraine and against the high tariffs that have become a hallmark of his administration — especially if the British leader comes away with any additional trade concessions to go with the announcements on tech investment rolled out earlier this week.
Witkoff, who has been tasked with helping the president secure peace deals in Ukraine and Gaza, has been in multiple meetings with the two men.
“I never hear [Starmer] lecture. I don’t hear him be condescending,” he said. “And the president, by the way, equally gives that respect back.”
Another White House official said at the beginning of his second term one of the biggest concerns was how world leaders would get along with Trump.
Starmer was so politically different that the administration did not expect a positive relationship.
“But they’ve become an unlikely duo,” the official said.
Witkoff has witnessed both Trump and Starmer “moderate” their views based on listening to the other.
“They both end up adjusting. And that doesn’t mean that they’re selling out a certain constituency. It means that they’re modulating in how they’re thinking about coming to a decision.”
It’s a stark contrast from Trump’s relationships across the pond during the first administration. His first term was marked by a combative posture toward Europe and NATO, often claiming he and the U.S. were being mistreated and disrespected by allies.
His pomp-filled historic visit to the U.K. shows just how significantly things have changed. And Starmer has gone out of his way to make Trump feel heard.
“There have been multiple occasions where I’ve listened to the president say to the prime minister, ‘Why don’t you think about it this way?’ And I hear Starmer welcome that and say ‘Let me give it some thought,’” Witkoff said. There is an “ease” about their relationship, Witkoff explained, that is a result of a real friendship.
Two other White House officials used the word “friendship” to describe the relationship. One of those officials told POLITICO that they have a lot of policy differences.
“Trump will sometimes give Starmer some grief on energy, specifically windmills. But they found common ground on nuclear. So they’ll engage on these things. And none of that stops them from working together.”
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