Donald Trump made a mocking impersonation of UK prime minister Keir Starmer after he previously went after the French president.
Trump was speaking over lunch at the White House when he took aim at Starmer, criticizing the UK leader’s approach to the US and Israeli war in Iran.
US and Israeli forces struck Iran on February 28, with Iran later responding through missile attacks across parts of the Middle East.
Iran also shut the Strait of Hormuz, a key route used for roughly 20 percent of global oil shipments.
The closure contributed to oil prices jumping beyond $100 a barrel, raising concerns about wider knock-on effects for the global economy.
Trump has repeatedly complained that some European allies have not fully backed US military action against Iran, and he used his White House remarks to renew that criticism — this time directing it at Starmer and adopting a mocking tone while imitating him.
During the comments, Trump referenced a previous request for the UK to contribute to the conflict, describing Britain’s aircraft carriers in disparaging terms.
Speaking to the conference, Trump said: “I asked UK who should be our best [ally]. The King is coming over here in two weeks, he’s a nice guy, King Charles.
He added: “[Britain] should be our best but they weren’t our best. I said [to Starmer] you have two, old broken down aircraft carriers, do you think you could send them over?”
Trump then put on what he described as Starmer’s voice while recounting the exchange, saying the prime minister responded: “Ohhh I’ll have to ask my team.”
He continued: “I said you’re the Prime Minister, you don’t have to,” before saying that Starmer had told him: “No, no, no, I have to ask my team. My team has to meet, we’re meeting next week.”
Trump said he replied by pointing to the pace of events, recalling: “But the war already started. Next week the war’s going to be over…in three days, my prediction.”
The remarks were said to have taken place on April 1. While the lunch itself was not open to journalists, the speech was later shown via a livestream.
Reports say the White House was the account that uploaded the footage to YouTube.
The recording was later made private, according to reports, but not before Bryan Metzger — described as a senior politics reporter for Business Insider — downloaded it and shared it on X.
The episode followed other Trump jabs at European leaders. He also mocked a 2025 clip that appeared to show French president Emmanuel Macron being shoved in the face by his wife Brigitte, saying: “”He’s still recovering from the right to the jaw.”
Macron described Trump’s comment as ‘neither elegant nor up to standard’.
A spokesperson for the White House told the Daily Mail: “President Trump has made his disappointment with the United Kingdom and other NATO allies clear, and as the President emphasized: ‘The United States will remember’.”