Trump Advises UK to "Call Out the Military" To Deal With Migrant Crossings
During his UK state visit, Donald Trump stirred controversy by advising Prime Minister Keir Starmer to deploy the military to stop migrant crossings in the English Channel. "You have people coming in and I told the prime minister I would stop it, and it doesn’t matter if you call out the military, it doesn’t matter what means you use," Trump said at a joint press conference. He warned that unchecked migration "destroys countries from within," comparing the UK’s situation to the US border crisis.
The suggestion was swiftly rejected by Trade Secretary Peter Kyle, who said on BBC Breakfast that border control is the job of the UK Border Force, not the armed forces. “The navy actually does have a working relationship with the UK Border Force... but what we really need at the moment is our military focused on all of those really key issues around the world, directly relating to our national defence,” Kyle said. Meanwhile, deportation flights have resumed under the government's new "one-in-one-out" deal with France, despite legal challenges and continued small boat crossings.
While Trump’s remarks on immigration grabbed headlines, his visit also touched on broader geopolitical issues. He voiced rare criticism of Vladimir Putin, supported North Sea oil, dismissed wind power as a "very expensive joke", and disagreed with Starmer’s plan to recognize Palestinian statehood. Despite public protests and political tension, the trip concluded with the announcement of nearly £150bn in US investment and a major UK-US tech deal, signaling economic cooperation even amid sharp policy divides.
