Taoiseach defends Keir Starmer as Trump once again says he is 'no Winston Churchill'

TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN stuck up for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his press conference with Donald Trump today, as the US President said he was disappointed in the UK leader in relation to his approach to Iran.

Trump once again said Starmer was “no Winston Churchill” and said that he was disappointed with him over his handling of the US and Israel’s war on Iran. 

When asked by a reporter if his opinion of Starmer has changed, the US President responded:

“Well, he hasn’t been supportive. And I think it’s a big mistake. You know, they make a lot of money on trade with the United States.” 

The US President added: “So, yeah, I’m disappointed with Keir, I like him. I think he’s a nice man, but I’m disappointed.”

Trump then turned to point out a bust of the late UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, which the US President has in the Oval Office. 

Trump pointed out that Biden had the Winston Churchill bust removed from the Oval Office. Alamy

Describing Churchill as a “great” man, Trump added: “Unfortunately, Keir is not Winston Churchill.”

Responding to Trump, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Starmer is a “very earnest, sound person” and he believes Trump has “a capacity to get on with” him.

Martin said he believes the relationship between the US and Europe is “very, very important.”

Micheál Martin and Donald Trump today in the Oval Office. Alamy

“I just met with Keir Starmer last week, the British-Irish relationship is a very important one. Churchill was a great wartime leader, although in Ireland it was kind of a different perspective in terms of our own war of independence and so on, he created his own bit of difficulties for us. 

“But that said, he was a great wartime hero.

“Keir Starmer has done a lot to reset the Irish-British relationship. I just want to put that on the record.

“But I do believe that he is a very earnest, sound person that I think you have a capacity to get on with.

“And you’ve got on with him before, and you’ve got on with other European leaders as well and I think you have that capacity again.

“And I think everyone accepts, I mean, you cannot have a rogue state with a nuclear weapon capacity,” the Taosieach said, adding that Iran was a “sponsor of terrorism”.

He added that the Irish position has always been “can we resolve this? Can we get peace?”