US President Donald Trump was captured on live television appearing to snub UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during the G7 summit in Evian, France. The footage, broadcast by GB News as breaking news, shows Starmer standing awkwardly beside Trump while the president enthusiastically shakes hands with other world leaders without acknowledging him.
Awkward Encounter
Starmer maintained a fixed grin as Trump seemingly ignored him despite their close proximity. A reporter commented over the video: "The US president brutally blanked the prime minister, as you can see on your screens now. What's this brutal smackdown reminiscent of lonely Theresa May at the 2016 Brexit summit's rejection? What's this Sir Keir Starmer's final humiliation?"
Ironically, a ticker at the bottom of the screen read: "PM insists he 'gets on really well' with the President despite no one-to-one meeting."
Starmer's Denial
Despite the apparent snub, Starmer denied being ignored, noting that no one-on-one talks were scheduled. He insisted Trump did not criticize him over his social media ban for under-16s or defense spending failures during their interactions at summit events.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Starmer said: "I sat next to Donald Trump for two hours last night at dinner, which was just the G7 leaders. There were no listening rooms, there were no staff, no advisers. It was literally an opportunity for all of us to have a very honest and frank conversation."
He added: "I actually spoke to Donald on Saturday before we came. We get on really well and I’ve been with him now, Saturday on the phone and last night and this morning. We’re sitting next to each other so there’s lots of room for side conversations in the margins."
Broader Context
Trump is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with leaders from other nations, including the UAE, Qatar, and India. Starmer previously stated he is "not going to yield" following repeated criticism from Trump over his stance on the Iran war. Trump also attacked the UK government's deal to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius, as he wanted to use the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia for attacks on Iran. Earlier this year, Trump took aim at Starmer by suggesting he was not dealing with Winston Churchill.
