Washington, DC – In his first public comments on Andy Burnham, the frontrunner to become Britain’s next prime minister, US President Donald Trump described the British politician as “very liberal.” He also suggested that their views might diverge if Burnham were to win power.
American reservations and questions about political orientations
When asked if he planned to be the first world leader to meet Burnham should he become prime minister, Trump expressed a clear reservation, saying, “No, but I think we’d probably have very different points of view.”
The US president also admitted his limited knowledge of the British candidate, referring to him only as “the mayor of a town.” He further stated his belief that Burnham would not support oil drilling in the North Sea.
Criticism of British energy policies
Trump said: “I don’t know anything about him… I heard he’s very liberal. That probably means he won’t open up the North Sea. What’s surprising is that the UK buys its oil from Norway at high prices, while Norway has a huge wealth of North Sea oil, while the UK is struggling economically.”
Challenges of the “special relationship” with Washington
These remarks come at a time when Burnham faces significant challenges in gaining the trust of the US administration and repairing the “special relationship” between the two countries, which experienced unprecedented tensions during Keir Starmer’s tenure, particularly regarding issues of free speech, immigration policies, and defense spending. According to sources close to the White House, Burnham remains a relatively unknown figure to senior US officials.
An attack on Keir Starmer’s legacy
Trump seized the opportunity to criticize outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, reiterating his attacks on him for blocking the use of Diego Garcia for military strikes against Iran and for his perceived shortcomings in immigration and energy policies.
Trump quipped, “I told this guy 15 times, and he didn’t listen. I told him he’d lose his job, and he did.”
Efforts to ease tensions within NATO
Trump made these remarks during a meeting Wednesday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House. The meeting was an attempt by Rutte to ease the US president’s discontent with the alliance ahead of the upcoming summit in Turkey. The NATO secretary general is seeking to defuse tensions that have been straining the Western military alliance.
