Trump said the UK is “protected” because he likes them

Donald Trump doesn’t hide how he feels about countries. If he doesn’t like you, he’ll slap tariffs on your exports, insult your leaders on camera, or just ignore you at summits. But somehow, the UK avoided all of that.

On Monday, at the G7 summit, Trump stood next to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, smiling like they were longtime business partners. When asked if the UK would face more tariffs, Trump said, “The UK is very well protected. You know why? Because I like them. That’s their ultimate protection.”

The UK was the first country to sign a trade deal with Trump in his second term. The agreement, finalized in May and formally presented this week, cuts tariffs on British car and steel exports to the US. Trump called it “a fair deal for both” and added, “We have many, many other ones coming… the relationship that we have is fantastic.” He said it’s already signed, done, and dusted.

Trump responds to personality, not politics

Now Keir isn’t Trump’s type on paper. He’s the head of the UK’s center-left Labour Party, a former human rights lawyer, and led criminal prosecutions before going into politics. Trump built hotels, casinos, and ran a reality TV show before jumping into the White House with an “America First” pitch.

But none of that mattered this week. When Trump dropped a copy of the trade agreement during their G7 presser, Keir bent down, picked it up, and handed it back to him. That’s the kind of thing Trump notices.

Standing beside Keir, Trump said, “We’re very long-time partners and allies and friends, and we’ve become friends in a short period of time. He’s slightly more liberal than I am,” adding a grin to underline the understatement.

Back in January, just weeks into his return to the White House, Trump had already told reporters Keir was doing “a very good job.” This week, he repeated that he likes Keir personally: “I get along with him well. I like him a lot. He’s represented his country in terms of philosophy. I may not agree with his philosophy, but I have a very good relationship with him.”

Though Trump’s praise isn’t known to last forever—just ask Elon Musk. But right now, Keir’s winning the game by doing something most leaders can’t: getting Trump to feel respected without actually kissing the ring.

UK plays the long game on trade and diplomacy

Besides the personal charm, the UK made a series of smart plays behind the scenes. First, it didn’t start a trade war when Trump imposed 10% tariffs in April. While other countries threatened retaliation, the UK took a different approach. It didn’t escalate.

They stayed calm, talked behind closed doors, and waited. That strategy worked. The UK also didn’t fall into the same trap others did on the trade deficit issue. Trump’s biggest trade obsession has always been imbalances, he hates countries that sell more to the US than they buy.

But Britain doesn’t run a major goods surplus with the US, and that’s key. It does have a services surplus, but Trump either doesn’t care or hasn’t brought it up yet. And until he does, the UK is staying quiet.

Another reason this relationship’s working is simple: Trump loves British culture. He’s said it over and over. His mom was Scottish, he’s a self-declared Anglophile, and he still talks about the 2019 state visit with Queen Elizabeth II.

During that trip, Trump and Melania Trump were hosted by the royal family, and it clearly stuck with him. When Keir handed Trump a handwritten invitation from King Charles III earlier this year for another royal visit, Trump lit up.

Vice President JD Vance broke it down even further this week: “The president really loves the United Kingdom. He loved the Queen. He admires and loves the King. It is a very important relationship. And he’s a businessman and has a number of important business relationships in [Britain]. But I think it’s much deeper than that. There’s a real cultural affinity. And of course, fundamentally America is an Anglo country.”

Vance didn’t bother mentioning policy alignment, because there isn’t much. The UK and the US have butted heads on foreign policy, including how far to go in support of Ukraine and Israel. But those disagreements have stayed under the radar. For now.

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