Trump tells BBC King’s visit to UK could ‘absolutely help’ repair relations7 hours agoSarahSmithNorth America editorUS president Donald Trump said that next week’s State Visit from King Charles III, and Queen Camilla, could help repair relationships with the UK. He’s fantastic. He’s an amazing man. The answer is absolutely yes. “I’ve known him since years, I know him very well,” he said. “He is a brave and great man. They would be a positive. The King will have a private meeting with the president and also deliver an address to Congress. After two days in Washington DC, they will travel to New York, Virginia and Bermuda before returning to the UK. The Trump-Starmer relationship is over? Starmer says he’s acting for the national interest following Trump criticism. The two leaders appear to be at odds over the war with Iran and the prime minister is under increasing pressure for his decision to appoint Sir Keir as UK ambassador to America. In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump stated that Lord Mandelson was a “really bad pick”, but the prime minister still had “plenty time to recover”. When asked what he meant, Trump replied: “If he opens the North Sea and his immigration policies become strong, which they are not right now, he can recuperate, but if he does not, I don’t believe he has a shot.” “Trump has repeatedly urged the UK to increase oil extraction in the North Sea. Sir Keir told broadcasters that he bases his decisions on what is in the British national interests and not on what others say or do. “That’s why I decided that we wouldn’t be dragged into a war in Iran,” said Sir Keir. “I won’t be distracted or deflected by what anyone else says. “ReutersTrump also criticised the UK and other allies for their response to Iran war. He has said that he is “not satisfied” with the level support offered by the UK. Sir Keir, on the other hand, has repeatedly stated that the country will not enter a wider conflict. I didn’t, of course. “We’ve destroyed Iran’s military,” he added. “I didn’t require anyone. “I wanted to test whether or not they were involved,” Trump said. He described his calls for allies’ support as “more of an experiment”. Trump was also asked if his threat earlier this month that “a civilisation will die tonight unless Iran agrees to a deal” was about nuclear weapons. The comment was widely condemned by many, including the Pope, UN chief and Sir Keir. Trump said, “The other side wants to make a deal.” “So, whatever I say or do, it seems to work very well. “Towards the end the phone interview, President Trump also mentioned his multi-billion dollar lawsuit against the BBC.He’s suing over how a Panorama documentary edited different sections of a talk he gave on 6 January 2021. Trump warned the BBC to be “very cautious” or else it could “destroy its reputation”. The BBC has previously apologized to Trump for the Panorama edit but rejected his demands of compensation. The BBC has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming that there is no basis for any defamation claims. A BBC spokesperson said that the BBC would vigorously defend the case. Later on Thursday, Trump warned the UK of a new tariff on the UK if they did not drop their 2% digital service tax on large US technology firms. “We’ve looked at it and we could meet that very easily by putting a large tariff on the UK. They better be careful,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.BBC News contacted Downing Street to comment.Sign up for our Royal Watch Newsletter to receive the latest royal stories every week. Sign up here if you are not in the UK.UK Royal FamilyQueen CamillaDonald Donald TrumpKing CharlesIII
