Comment: Trump and Burnham's first meeting Published on: 23 September 2026 Writing for The Conversation, Dr Martin Farr asks whether a good connection with the US president could be a problem for the PM at home. , Tonally, it was perhaps not quite what the UK prime minister and his delegation had been hoping for. Moments before meeting Andy Burnham for the first time, Donald Trump told the world about 鈥渁 British invasion fleet鈥� arriving 250 years ago 鈥渢o crush the cause of liberty鈥�. Immediately after Trump鈥檚 address to the , the British and Americans met, and more cordially. 鈥淎 really special country and we are with you all the way, Mr Prime Minister,鈥� . A 45-minute meeting between Trump and Burnham, their foreign ministers, national security advisers, ambassadors and chiefs of staff concluded before the press was invited in for a 12-minute conference. Trump offered generalised (鈥淚 think he鈥檚 going to be good鈥�), even flatulent (鈥渁 natural businessperson鈥�) comments of approval. As, of course, he once did about Keir Starmer. Perhaps nowhere more than in this incipient relationship might Burnham鈥檚 likeability 鈥� a quality not disputed by even his most hostile critics 鈥� be of material benefit: Burnham may disarm with charm. There was, Trump said, 鈥済ood connection鈥� between them. He congratulated Burnham 鈥� confusingly 鈥� on a 鈥済reat election win鈥�. (Had he heard of ?) 鈥淭hat was a big one.鈥� Conspicuous by their absence was mention of Burnham鈥檚 accent, Trump鈥檚 mother, the king 鈥� or indeed, the late queen. It was while Burnham was airborne on his way to New York that the diplomatically significant for Saudi Arabia in its war against the Houthis in Yemen was announced. That move was conceived with an eye on the American response, and Burnham duly reminded Trump that 鈥渨e accepted a call from Saudi Arabia鈥�. Seeking to de-escalate tensions with the White House, Burnham flagged his response as evidence that Britain will 鈥減lay our part鈥� in peace in the Middle East. Avoiding awkwardness It is never clear the extent to which Trump鈥檚 apparently casual remarks 鈥� recently over the sovereignty of the Falklands or the status of Northern Ireland 鈥� are also vindictive. (Were his comments about the Falklands because of Britain鈥檚 unhelpfulness over the Chagos Islands?) Maximalist demands often lead to compromise. Some awkward issues were avoided publicly, such as the possibly provocative invitation from Canada鈥檚 finance minister for the UK to join the new 鈥� or, indeed, the bromancing Evertonians Burnham and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney recently. Other awkward issues were publicly negotiated. It is perhaps auspicious that one policy predictably unpopular with this White House 鈥� sanctions against Israeli settlements 鈥� has been managed so deftly. Trump when asked alongside Burnham. It may help that where Starmer inherited an imperial Trump at his most powerful, Burnham finds a weaker president 鈥� and one who will probably be weaker still after November鈥檚 . Starmer inherited a war. His prime ministerial predecessors Herbert Asquith had gone to war in 1914 to defend Belgium against external aggression, Neville Chamberlain went to war in 1939 to do the same for Poland, and Boris Johnson in 2022 (effectively) did similar for Ukraine. Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Starmer also inherited Ukraine. But Burnham has inherited Iran, which included as collateral damage Starmer鈥檚 carefully constructed relationship with Trump. Not acceding to US requests to use the airbases they already shared was Starmer鈥檚 most significant mis-step, notwithstanding the public and party praise he received for it. Trump鈥檚 now normally on September 22 was in part a post-hoc justification for his elective war on Iran. This has helped to define, through consequential economic pressures, the Burnham premiership. A man Trump can do business with. The change of regime meant that Trump refrained from criticising the UK, though his slights at Starmer continued. To the suggestion that UK-US relations had been 鈥渦p and down鈥�, he replied to a British journalist: 鈥淭hey鈥檙e more up now than they were with your last prime minister.鈥� Chagos was 鈥渁 terrible deal鈥�, 鈥渞idiculous鈥� 鈥� but, Trump said, significantly: 鈥淚 think the prime minister鈥檚 going to be looking at it.鈥� On Russia, the president said 鈥渢he rhetoric from your last prime minister was too tough. He has to be a little bit careful.鈥� A warning to Burnham may have been implicit 鈥� 鈥渢hat dialogue is too nasty鈥� 鈥� and praise was couched. 鈥淚 will say he鈥檚 on your side,鈥� Trump later said to Ukrainian President Zelensky of Burnham. In his own address to the General Assembly later, Burnham pointedly ignored Trump鈥檚 warnings and spoke about Russia鈥檚 aggression in tones as hawkish and strident as anything Starmer ever said. At the press conference, given the White House , questions from British journalists were prominent 鈥� and keen to elicit differences between the two leaders. A more than usually hesitant Burnham went through the prepared talking points, agreeing when invited to, manifestly out of his comfort zone. At the weekend, Burnham will be in that happy place: his home crowd in his home town 鈥� the Labour Party conference in Liverpool. But, having satisfied the party membership and erstwhile Labour voters over Israel, he will find it much harder to do so over Trump. The aim is clearly for a relationship that鈥檚 less craven 鈥� there was an 鈥淎ndy鈥� but no 鈥淒onald鈥� 鈥� aware that his base is Labour鈥檚 grassroots, for whom no distance from Trump is too great. By any measure, the meeting in New York was a success. Of the president鈥檚 fourth and likely final prime minister, we shall now see whether this particularly proficient people-pleaser can please this particular person. , Senior Lecturer in Contemporary British History, This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the . 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