Trump's week in review: Showdown with Zelensky, DOGE continues cuts
'You're gambling with World War III'
3. Free speech and state visit: Meeting with Keir Starmer
Trump also met with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday. Emphasizing the special relationship between their two countries, Trump and Starmer discussed trade, floating the possibility of a "new economic deal with advanced technology at its core" where tariffs against the U.K. "wouldn't be necessary."
Vance's recent comments in Munich about diminishing free speech in the U.K. and Europe came up during their meeting in the Oval Office, though Starmer pushed back against the idea that free speech is diminishing in his country, as Vance claimed.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Vance confronts Starmer over free speech. Starmer says we’ve had free speech in Britain for a very long time…tell that to the people locked up for Facebook posts pic.twitter.com/OHG0u3QpJO
— Patrick Christys (@PatrickChristys) February 27, 2025
Vance maintained that infringements on free speech in the U.K. "actually affect not just the British," but also "American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens."
Starmer cut in, saying, "We've had free speech for a very, very long time in the United Kingdom — and it will last for a very, very long time."
Starmer also hand-delivered a letter to Trump from King Charles III, inviting him to the U.K. for a rare second state visit, which Trump graciously accepted. Trump, whose mother Mary was born in Scotland, made his first state visit to the U.K. in 2019 under the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
British Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer delivers an invitation to President Trump from King Charles. pic.twitter.com/12HGj0yXKM
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 27, 2025
During their joint press conference at the White House, a reporter asked Starmer about Trump's calls to potentially annex Canada — a member of the British Commonwealth under King Charles III — as the 51st U.S. state.
"You mention Canada, I think you’re trying to find a divide between us that doesn’t exist. We’re the closest of nations, and we had very good discussions today," Starmer replied before Trump cut in and told the reporter, "That's enough, thank you."
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
