The Brits are SO smart.

[MsAmerica]

Playing Trump like a fiddle, knowing his weakness for flattery and star power. Starmer begins by presenting a letter of invitation from Charles III.

Donald Trump given letter from King Charles on Ukraine war with special 'unprecedented' invite
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/donald-trump-given-letter-from-king-charles-on-ukraine-war-with-special-unprecedented-invite/ar-AA1zVHbC

UK Prime Minister Starmer Presents Trump With An Invitation From King Charles For A State Visit: "This Is Really Special"
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/02/27/uk_prime_minister_starmer_presents_trump_with_an_invitation_from_king_charles_for_a_state_visit_this_is_really_special.html

This special relationship idea was invented by Winston Churchill when we got the begging bowl to the US in WW2. So much continuity

And if you think what Starmer did was embarrassing then you are extremely ignorant of just how flexible we got back then, both with the US and the USSR. And how much we paid for it too.

I must say I saw it as arse licking and grovellng

We should be paying for our own defence. The reason we are now having to know tow to the Orange toddler is because we have been relying on the US to defend us.

No they were busy fighting the war and nearly losing until they got Trump back in. I strongly suspect they didn't expect Biden to get in last time and thought the war would be "negated" by Trump a lot earlier.

Yes I thought Starmer was very very clever and all respect to him. He sounded like someone giving a gift to a small child making them aware how important it was. And Trump lapped it up!
The only way to get anywhere with him is to flatter him and hold your nose while doing it.

No they don't like labour

If his mom lets him, he'll take it to kindergarten on Monday for show and tell.

That is true overall although I'm tired of this myth that the US is the only one spending "enough" on defence. All the NATO countries outside of Italy and Spain pay more than 2%, Poland spends over 4%, and have done for the last 10 years. The US is the only NATO country to be reducing their spend over 10 years instead of increasing it, and it pays far less percentage-wise than several other countries now. No one on the news is actually fact checking that.

'Yes I thought Starmer was very very clever and all respect to him. He sounded like someone giving a gift to a small child making them aware how important it was. And Trump lapped it up!'

This is not how it came across at all. He looked like a nervous little kid trying to creep around the teacher. Absolutely embarrassing.

We should be paying for our own defence. The reason we are now having to know tow to the Orange toddler is because we have been relying on the US to defend us.

We still need their security. That was the main reason for the visits from leaders.

US workers might be enough but it's more about them than peacekeepers.

I did laugh at Trump 'you Brits don't need us, you'll do great'. And the response to that.

Why do you think Stammer was the brains behind this offer?
King Charles is much more likely to have offered a visit to Trump as the New President, this happens after an election and is normal. Letting Stammer had it over was to give him boost, as he really is like the Spitting image John Major grey puppet. No star power and insipid.

The more he's eating the less he's speaking

Starmer doing something right for a change.

That's not how things work. The monarch hosts state visits on the say-so of the government at the time, it isn't left up to the King's discretion.

That said, it won't necessarily have been Starmer's idea either. There will have been entire teams of people involved in the planning and preparations for this meeting.

I think there are some sour grapes here because some on the right in the UK expected the US president to debag the UK PM publicly about Chagos which did not happen and makes them look rather unimportant.

Chagos is such a shame. It will cost us billions

Of course Trump is fine with it, he gets paid.

We pay instead of using funds for other defence

Only the Labour team could be so happy about 'winning' on costing the taxpayer billions for no need.

I agree - Starmer, the irrelevant Footman. If true and the King has used Starmer and is infact the one doing deals with Trump. We may end up with a monarchy by the back door.

Camilla can wink both eyes at Trumple when/if he comes.

He's just a human being.
Works with others also, but I agree about holding your nose.
(My narcissistic mother, sitting on inheritance).

Okay. But honestly what did they expect? Trump doesn't care.

It was more interesting that they thought he would. Now that's very silly

Oligarchs and Monarchs love each others' company. They go where the money is, it is that simple.

I thought this was the entire point of the RF in modern world - to HRH them.

Obviously late Queen was master at it - but still we keep them for a reason.

I think we are usually more subtle and less public about it - not things that are generally assocaited with Trump. Macron had to rely on personal charm - which I think Stammer would have really struggled with TBH - so good he has the backup.

I’ll take it in these circumstances

It's not really just politics. Our security and defence is so tied up with theirs that we're fucked if they turn on us. We're America's bitch.

I think most people are intelligent enough to know that was never going to happen.