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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Toby Helm Political editor

‘Starmer’s big moment’: can PM persuade Trump not to give in to Putin?

Donald Trump will hold a meeting with Keir Starmer in Washington this week.
Donald Trump will hold a meeting with Keir Starmer in Washington this week. Composite: Reuters/Getty images

When Keir Starmer is advised on how to handle his crucial meeting with Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, he will be told by advisers from Downing Street and the Foreign Office to be very clear on his main points and, above all, to be brief.

“Trump gets bored very easily,” said one well-placed Whitehall source with knowledge of the president’s attention span. “When he loses interest and thinks someone is being boring, he just tunes out. He doesn’t like [the French president, Emmanuel] Macron partly because Macron talks too much and tries to lecture him.”

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