Trump Calls Channel Migrants 'Bad People' While Applauding Starmer's Harder Immigration Line

• by Arlen Fitzpatrick
• 0 Comments

Trump Wades into UK's Channel Migrant Debate with Bold Claims

Donald Trump managed to spark fresh controversy during a press conference with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Scotland's Turnberry golf resort, weighing in on the UK's heated debate over small boat crossings. As bagpipes echoed outside the stately venue, the US President admitted, “I know nothing about the boats”—but that didn't stop him making sweeping statements about the thousands of men, women, and children risking their lives to cross the English Channel.

“They’re bad people, they usually are because other countries don’t send their best,” Trump declared, barely pausing before praising Starmer for bringing what he sees as a much tougher approach to the migration problem. This, he said, is a “fantastic thing”. The timing is key—Starmer’s Labour government is under pressure after nearly 24,000 people arrived by small boat in 2025 alone, a figure still drawing fierce arguments across the political spectrum.

Trump is no stranger to such rhetoric. He compared the British crackdown to his own claims of securing the US southern border, saying crossings fell to 'zero' under his watch in June. But Homeland Security’s own figures contradict that sunny boast. There were over 6,000 apprehensions at the border that month, suggesting reality doesn’t quite match Trump’s narrative.

Starmer's Tightrope Act: Policy, Pressure, and Politics

For Keir Starmer, the meeting was more than just photo ops. Labour’s victory in 2024 meant jettisoning the Conservatives’ Rwanda deportation scheme—deeply unpopular, fiercely debated, and legally complex. Instead, his government introduced a new Border Security Command focused on beefed-up enforcement and sharper intelligence efforts.

Ideas are swirling about how this will play out in practice: More officers, faster data sharing with European counterparts, and possibly tougher penalties for traffickers. But the sheer volume—nearly 24,000 crossings this year—means political heat isn’t cooling any time soon. Starmer’s team faces the tough task of proving their plan works while keeping public opinion and party unity on-side.

Their exchange wasn’t all about borders and boats. Looming large in the room was transatlantic trade, with both sides still locked in disputes. The US isn’t happy with a proposed 10% British tariff on imported goods, and there’s noise on both sides about possible tit-for-tat moves against steel and pharmaceuticals. Both Starmer and Trump signaled they want progress, but with elections always around the corner and union jobs at stake, don’t expect easy breakthroughs soon.

There was also an awkward diplomatic dance over Gaza, as both men expressed the need for “greater cooperation” in brokering peace and navigating the fallout from the ongoing conflict. And, in between the heavy politicking, cameras caught Starmer’s wife Victoria mingling with US and UK officials, a reminder that these meetings are as much about stagecraft as substance.

Trump’s small boat migrants comments will linger—another sign that even when leaders admit they don’t know it all, their words can shape a debate halfway around the world. For Starmer, the tightrope walk between change and continuity just got a little trickier with the world watching from the Scottish coast.