Trump praises UK prime minister yet still toys with idea which country to visit first

Donald Trump has praised British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for doing "a very good job" and considered that his first official overseas trip could be to Britain.

In a boost to the UK Prime Minister, the US president stated he had a "very good relationship" with Starmer, though he noted he "did not agree with his philosophy" as a "liberal," Caliber.Az reports citing Western media outlets.

Trump mentioned that the two leaders would have their first phone call "in the next 24 hours."

Although the new US presidents traditionally would visit the UK in his first trip abroad, a gesture highlighting their historic ties, Trump did recall that he did not following this unspoken rule before. Responding to the destination of his first trip, he said "it could be Saudi Arabia, it could be UK. [...] Last time I went to Saudi Arabia because they agreed to buy $450 billion of American United States merchandise.” As Caliber.Az recalls, Trump already held a phone conversation with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince MohammEd Bin Salman since returning to the White House. 

However, since the election, Elon Musk, the tech billionaire appointed by Trump to address government inefficiency, has launched an online campaign against Starmer, repeatedly criticizing his handling of domestic issues such as the handling of the so-called "grooming gangs scandal".

The appointment of Lord Mandelson, the New Labour figure, as British ambassador to Washington has also upset Trump’s allies. A Trump campaign official has called Mandelson "an absolute moron" and suggested he should "stay home." According to The Times publication, experts speculate that the US president may even reject Starmer’s choice for ambassador.

By Nazrin Sadigova