President Donald Trump, right, talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Washington. via Associated PressFriedrich Merz has claimed he privately defended Keir Starmer after Donald Trump attacked the UK prime minister in a joint press conference. The US president said Starmer was “no Winston Churchill” in a scathing takedown while sat next to the German chancellor in the Oval Office on Tuesday. Merz quickly came under fire for not defending his allies in the face of Trump’s criticisms and sitting in silence. AdvertisementHe supposedly told the president that he considers the criticism of Starmer “to be unjustified”.

Source: Huffington Post March 05, 2026 04:48 UTC