The warmth of summer memories quickly faded.
In a stark contrast to his recent lavish reception in Britain, where he enjoyed two trips—one to his Scottish golf resorts in June and a state visit hosted by King Charles III at Windsor Castle just last week—President Trump delivered a blistering message to European leaders at the United Nations on Tuesday: “Your countries are going to hell.”
Though he didn’t explicitly name Britain, his message was undeniably aimed at the UK. Trump insisted Europe must “end the failed experiment of open borders,” directly recalling a public warning he’d given Prime Minister Keir Starmer regarding immigration at the close of his state visit.
The president’s criticism didn’t end there. He also reignited his ongoing dispute with London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan, baselessly suggesting Khan was attempting to implement Shariah law.
He remarked, “I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor, and it’s been changed, it’s been so changed. Now they want to go to Shariah law. But you are in a different country, you can’t do that.”
It remains unclear how Trump formed such an impression of London as being “repressive” or “incompetently run.” His visit to the city lasted merely 12 hours, spent mostly at the American ambassador’s residence in Regent’s Park, before he departed by helicopter to Windsor Castle and then to Chequers, Prime Minister Starmer’s country retreat.
The meticulously planned itinerary successfully shielded Trump from protesters, many carrying “Dump Trump” banners. However, when an activist group managed to project images of Trump and convicted financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto the walls of Windsor Castle, four individuals were swiftly arrested.
One can only imagine the dismay of Trump’s hosts, who had dedicated months to crafting a memorable visit for their unpredictable guest. Their efforts included horse-drawn carriages, formations of Grenadier guards, a formal white-tie banquet, a stunning flyover by Red Arrow aerobatic planes, and parachutists displaying both British and American flags.
Reading the British newspapers, one could almost feel the collective offense on behalf of these diligent hosts, as if their meticulously planned event had just received a scathing online review.
Headlines reflected the sentiment: The Daily Telegraph proclaimed, “Trump: West going to hell over migration,” highlighting his attack on the mayor. The Guardian’s banner read, “Your countries are going to hell, Trump tells European leaders.” Meanwhile, the tabloid Daily Mirror opted for a photo of the president with a single, potent headline: “Deranged.”
For Prime Minister Starmer, whose diplomatic strategy has centered on maintaining a cordial relationship with Trump regardless of the perceived cost to national dignity, these cutting remarks will undoubtedly reignite discussions about whether it’s time for a “Love, Actually” moment.
In Richard Curtis’s 2003 film, a dignified British prime minister, portrayed by Hugh Grant, famously confronts a boorish American president, played by Billy Bob Thornton, for exploiting an ally. “A friend who bullies us is no longer a friend,” Grant’s character boldly states, to the tearful pride of his staff.
However, such a dramatic confrontation is not expected from Starmer, a composed lawyer who has consistently dismissed calls to directly challenge Trump as merely theatrical and ultimately unhelpful. Last March, after Trump’s public reprimand of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, Starmer commented that “we were under pressure to come out very critically with, you know, flowery adjectives to describe how others felt.”
He elaborated in an interview, “I took the view that it was better to pick up the phone and talk to both sides to try and get them back on the same page,” further stating, “I like and respect him. I understand what he’s trying to achieve.”
London’s first Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, however, did not offer the other cheek. After an initial period of silence, he publicly branded Trump “racist” and “Islamophobic” in a Wednesday morning interview, quipping that people might wonder why Trump “appears to be living rent free inside Donald Trump’s head.” Khan also highlighted official data indicating a record number of Americans are choosing to reside in Britain.
Interestingly, Trump isn’t the only prominent American to criticize Britain while simultaneously enjoying its offerings. Vice President JD Vance, for instance, visited the country in August with his family for a vacation in the picturesque Cotswolds, west of London, and a weekend stay at Chevening, the official country residence of the foreign secretary.
During this time, David Lammy, then the foreign secretary, took Vance carp fishing and politely chuckled when his guest claimed to have caught more fish. This occurred despite Vance having suggested only months prior that Britain was “some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years” — a remark he later clarified was not directed at either Britain or France.
According to William Hanson, an etiquette coach and author of “Just Good Manners,” Britain is capable of tolerating such dismissive treatment from the United States, even when it’s perceived as poor etiquette. Instead of direct retaliation, Hanson proposed a “slight subtle withdrawal” from Trump’s America.
However, Hanson wryly acknowledged, “The Trump administration may not respond to subtlety.”