Donald Trump has unleashed another rant at Keir Starmer, accusing him of ‘taking too long’ to join in on the strikes against Iran. Now political experts have revealed the real reason the president is taking aim at the PM
Donald Trump has blasted Sir Keir Starmer and the UK for not joining in on the military strikes in Iran, claiming the relationship between the two countries is “obviously not what it was” in a brazen rant.
While the UK has loaned some of its RAF bases to the US, Sir Keir has made it clear he “does not believe in regime change from the skies” when discussing the US/Israel war against Iran. In response, the US President said it is “very sad” that relations between Britain and the United States are now “not like it used to be”.
Blaming Sir Keir directly, Trump claimed: “He has not been helpful. I never thought I’d see that. I never thought I’d see that from the UK. We love the UK. It’s very sad to see that the relationship is obviously not what it was.”
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“This was the most solid relationship of all. And now we have very strong relationships with other countries in Europe. It’s not going to matter, but (Sir Keir) should have helped… he should have. I mean, France has been great. They’ve all been great. The UK has been much different from others.”
Starmer granted permission on Sunday for the US to use British bases to target Iran’s missile launchers and stores to help protect countries targeted by Tehran. But the US president said he was “very disappointed” in Sir Keir for initially refusing to allow the use of the UK-US Diego Garcia base.
Trump added in his strange rant that he “loves” the UK and its people but claimed it is “not such a recognisable country anymore”.
But according to political experts, the president’s condemnation isn’t surprising given his view on his foreign peers – and his track record of trying to humuiliate world leaders as part of a wider power play.
Anthony Glees, Professor at at the University of Buckingham, tells the Mirror that a core part of the UK and US’ relationship is a “common vision of security and intense sharing of military assets”. But Trump’s comments are a “deliberate measure to destabilise and rattle our elected prime minister.”
He adds: “He comes over as a sadist, delighting in the pain he causes to those who avow their friendship with him, revelling in humiliating them. Trump’s attack on Sir Keir is quite unprecedented. Few will doubt that it has been done at the deliberate behest of Labour’s political enemies, not least from Nigel Farage.”
John Owens, a professor of United States government and politics, also echoes this view, telling the Mirror: “Trump regards his staff, the Congress, the courts, and his foreign allies as his minions who should kowtow to US demands.
“He does not care who he insults. Let us recall the shocking, public humiliation of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, at the White House in February 2025.”
Trump was branded “disrespectful” after repeatedly speaking over Zelensky at the White House last year. The diplomatic mask slipped during the high-stakes meeting, as President Trump and JD Vance repeatedly berated him, accusing him of a lack of gratitude for US military support.
The atmosphere in the Oval Office turned icy as Vance interrupted the Ukrainian leader, telling him it was “disrespectful” to make his case in front of the American media. He then demanded Zelensky publicly thank Trump for his leadership before the meeting could continue.
Minutes after that contentious meeting, Trump twisted in the knife further as he wrote on Truth Social that Zelensky could “come back when he is ready for peace”.
Trump is renowned for being outspoken, rarely speaking from a teleprompter and instead going off his own script. Analysing Trump’s rant towards Sir Keir, body language and communications expert Judi James says that POTUS’ “repeated phrasing” suggests continued “crushed expectations”.
She tells the Mirror: “The avoidance of open anger or threat actually makes this sound more chilling. He is very directive next, aiming his comments at Starmer himself and using a divide and conquer technique as he emphasises he ‘loves the UK’ to isolate the PM from his own country.”
After Trump’s first round of criticisms over the weekend, Starmer clapped back. Updating MPs on the unfolding crisis on Monday, the Prime Minister said: “President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest. That is what I have done and I stand by it.”
In his strongest rebuke of the US President yet, the Prime Minister said the UK had learned the lessons of the Iraq War and he would not commit British forces to military action without a clear lawful basis.
His statement came as officials draw up plans to evacuate more than 100,000 Brits from the Middle East. The PM on Sunday announced he had agreed to let the US use British military bases to target missile storage depots and launchers being used to attack Iran’s neighbours.
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