Tina Fordham, founder of Fordham Global Foresight, discusses the unlikely bonhomie between Republican U.S. President Donald Trump and center-left U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

London

The relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is described as pragmatic and mutually beneficial, despite their contrasting political backgrounds. While public approval of Trump in Britain is low, both leaders have prioritized maintaining strong diplomatic ties, resulting in substantial agreements, including $150 billion in deals.

Observers note that these agreements are important for the U.K., which is seeking investment and economic growth, while the U.S. values diplomatic achievements. However, these deals are not seen as a solution to the U.K.'s broader economic challenges, but rather as a positive step in ongoing diplomatic relations.

How the 'mysterious' relationship between Trump, Starmer works

As a dual U.K.-U.S. citizen, having lived in Britain for 23 years, I feel like I have skin in the game. I think what we need President Trump to get out of this is to continue his strongly positive associations with Britain. And so I think it's purely pragmatic to say we want Trump to come away from this trip feeling like Britain is a place where he's welcomed, even if the population has pretty poor approval ratings for him, where he has good relations and where, you know, the special relationship, as we like to call it here, is still going strong. Now, there's a lot going on beneath the surface. And of course, the prime minister and his team have really pulled out all the stops, the royal family, you know, the soft power that that brings. I think that's OK. You know, it's interesting, because a lot of the commentary has sort of suggested that the deals we've seen come through so far, the favorable relations between the two sides are really mutually beneficial. The U.K. needs investment, needs a source of growth here. And the U.S. loves to chalk up, you know, diplomatic wins. Why has this relationship evolved so positively? Is it down to Starmer and his team? Does he deserve credit for these favorable relations, or is it simply that the structure of the U.K. economy lends itself as sort of an easy, an easy win, an easy target for President Trump? Well, we like to look for patterns. And with this in mind, the Donald Trump-Keir Starmer friendship is an unlikely pair. Starmer as a, you know, a center-left human rights lawyer, Donald Trump being the way that we know he is, what defines their relationship is a bit mysterious. I'm going to put it in terms of soft power and all of Trump's positive associations. Trump doesn't have very many, you know, friends on the global stage that are from the left. And as I say, it's better than the alternative. So yes, they both need this to be a successful visit. $150 billion in deals isn't nothing. Is this going to plug the chancellor's hole, you know, in the budget? Of course not. It is diplomacy. It's not a substitute for Britain becoming more productive and overcoming some of its structural economic challenges. But it doesn't hurt.

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