Trump Press Conference Seen as a Win for Starmer

President Trump wrapped up his visit to the UK on Thursday with a joint press conference with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump thanked Starmer for his hospitality and praised the relationship between the countries, saying, "The United States and the United Kingdom have done more good on this planet than any two nations in human history." Starmer said they had "renewed the special relationship for a new era." Earlier Thursday, the two leaders signed science and technology partnerships. Some press conference highlights:

• Palestinian statehood: "I have a disagreement with the prime minister on that score," Trump told reporters. Starmer is expected to recognize Palestinian statehood within days of Trump leaving the country, though he denied Thursday that the timing has anything to do with the state visit, the AP reports. Starmer said the US and the UK are working together on a Gaza peace plan.

• Ukraine: Trump said he had "solved" seven wars, but "the one I thought would be easiest would be because of my relationship with President Putin but he's let me down, he's really let me down," per the Telegraph. Starmer said: "We have to put extra pressure on Putin and it's only when the president has put pressure on Putin that he's actually shown any inclination to move."
• Jimmy Kimmel: Asked about the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel, Trump said, "He had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago," claiming that the host had said a "horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk." Trump added, "So, you know, you could call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent."
• Peter Mandelson: The New York Times reports that British reporters in the room laughed when Trump pushed a question about Peter Mandelson, the British ambassador to the US fired over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, back to Starmer. "I don't know him," said Trump, who met Mandelson several times. The Guardian reports that Starmer "swiftly moved on" after saying Mandelson was removed after new information came to light.
• Migration: Asked what advice he had for Starmer on illegal immigration, Trump suggested using the military, which is not an option Starmer is believed to be considering. "I told the prime minister I would stop it, and it doesn't matter if you call out the military, it doesn't matter what means you use," he said.
• Energy policy: Asked why he thinks "he is right and Trump is wrong" about energy, Starmer said the UK would continue to use a mix of renewables and oil and gas, the Guardian reports. Trump slammed wind energy and touted his "drill, baby, drill" policy.
• Bagram air base: Describing it as "breaking news" while attacking Joe Biden over the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Trump said the US was trying to reestablish a presence at Bagram Air Base, the AP reports. "We're trying to get it back," he said.

• A win for Starmer? BBC political analyst Henry Zeffman believes the prime minister and his team will be "delighted" with how the press conference went. "President Trump disagreed with the prime minister on some significant issues—Gaza, illegal immigration, energy policy," he writes. "But they are all areas where we already knew they disagreed. And Trump disagreed with the prime minister in the most pleasant way possible. His tone was 'agree to disagree.'"