00:00U.S. President Donald Trump has launched a blistering attack on Britain,
00:16calling Keir Starmer's plan to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius one of great stupidity.
00:23However, the Trump administration had approved the deal when it was negotiated last year,
00:27accepting the Downing Street argument that this would remove the risk of the U.K. and the U.S.
00:32losing access to Diego Garcia under international law.
00:36Trump now says this is a sign of total weakness and great stupidity.
00:41Writing on his Truth Social platform,
00:44the U.S. President said the deal is
00:46The criticism comes just one day after Keir Starmer called for calm
00:56among the U.S. and NATO allies as tensions mount over Trump's threats to Greenland.
01:01I talk regularly to President Trump and my team is in daily contact with all the key figures in his administration.
01:11These relationships matter.
01:14They deliver concrete outcomes in the national interest.
01:18Mature alliances are not about pretending differences don't exist.
01:27They are about addressing them directly, respectfully, and with a focus on results.
01:33On Greenland, the right way to approach an issue of this seriousness is through calm discussion between allies.
01:44And let's be clear, the security of Greenland matters.
01:49And it will matter more as climate change reshapes the Arctic,
01:54as sea routes open and strategic competition intensifies.
01:58The high north will require greater attention, greater investment, and stronger collective defence.
02:05The U.S. will be central to that effort, and the U.K. stands ready to contribute fully alongside our allies through NATO.
02:18But there is a principle here that cannot be set aside,
02:23because it goes to the heart of how stable and trusted international cooperation works.
02:30And so any decision about the future status of Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone.
02:44That right is fundamental, and we support it.
02:51Denmark is a close ally of the United Kingdom and of the United States,
02:55a proud NATO member that has stood shoulder to shoulder with us,
03:02including at real human cost in recent decades.
03:07Alliances endure because they're built on respect and partnership, not pressure.
03:16That is why I said the use of tariffs against allies is completely wrong.
03:22It is not the right way to resolve differences within an alliance.
03:29Nor is it helpful to frame efforts to strengthen Greenland's security as a justification for economic pressure.
03:39Such measures hurt British workers, British businesses, and the British economy.
03:45And that is why I've been so clear on this issue.
03:51A trade war is in no one's interest.
03:55And my job is always to act in the U.K.'s national interest.
04:00That is why yesterday I spoke to President Trump, to European leaders, and to the Secretary General of NATO.
04:10To find a solution rooted in partnership, facts, and mutual respect.
04:18Because that is how strong alliances protect shared interests.
04:22The United Kingdom has issued a strong rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump's condemnation of a sovereignty agreement concerning the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean.
04:48A U.K. government spokesperson asserted that the nation will never compromise on our national security, directly countering Trump's characterization of the deal as an act of great stupidity.
05:00Last year, Keir Starmer agreed a controversial deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while retaining control of the U.K.-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia.
05:10The U.K. has agreed to pay Mauritius at least £120 million annually during the 99-year agreement to lease back the site, a total cost in cash terms of at least £13 billion.
05:22Earlier, Republican and Louisiana Senator John Kennedy warned the United Kingdom that it could damage its relationship with the United States if it threatened the future of the joint U.S.-U.K. military base on the island of Diego Garcia by ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
05:37This is India.
05:42This is China, which wants to run the whole world.
05:47China's already trying to take over the shipping lanes in the South China Sea.
05:53This is the Chagos Islands, right down here.
05:59Years ago, the Chagos Islands were owned by France.
06:03France ceded the Chagos Islands to our friends in Great Britain, U.K.
06:12And a number of years ago, the United Kingdom and America got together and we built, mostly with American dollars, by the way,
06:20we built a military base in the Chagos Islands on one particular island called Diego Garcia.
06:29And it's a really important military base.
06:31For one thing, it's very close to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean in China, so we can watch them.
06:37For another thing, it's where, it's one of the only port, bases where our nuclear submarines can dock.
06:50Hugely important.
06:51Well, the United Nations got mad at the United Kingdom.
07:01They said, Great Britain, you're bad people.
07:07You used to be colonialists.
07:09You acquired other countries, sometimes freely, sometimes by force.
07:17Every country I know of in the world of any strength has done that.
07:22Doesn't mean we ought to be proud of it, but it's part of our history.
07:26But the United Nations said, Shame on you, U.K.
07:29Shame on you.
07:30Bad, bad, bad, bad.
07:32You have to give back the Chagos Islands and the military base there.
07:39And the U.N., the U.N. doesn't have any jurisdiction over the United Kingdom.
07:44But the U.N. said, not only do you have to give it back,
07:47but you don't give it back to the people of the Chagos Islands.
07:51You give it back to another group of islands way down here called Mauritius.
07:56Mauritius used to own the Chagos Islands when France ceded them to Great Britain.
08:07They were run by Mauritius.
08:08But the people of the two island groups, archipelagos,
08:13the people don't have any affinity.
08:17Now, what's Mauritius say?
08:19Of course, we'll take it.
08:21But they want to start charging the United States and the U.K.
08:289 billion pounds for a 99-year lease.
08:36So we can lease our own military base.
08:39All because the prime minister of the United Kingdom feels guilty
08:45because somebody, some tofu-eating wokarati at the United Nations
08:52says they're bad people, bad, bad, bad, bad colonialists.
08:58Well, and the prime minister of the United Kingdom,
09:04he's going along with it.
09:05But he says, I'm negotiating with Mauritius.
09:08And the leader of Mauritius just issued a press release and said,
09:13yeah, he's negotiating.
09:15He's increased the price.
09:17And he's shorting the leash.
09:19Now, you know who's loving all of this?
09:21China.
09:23Because China has a close relationship with Mauritius.
09:27And you know what?
09:28It's going to get a lot closer.
09:32This is insane.
09:34This is sell-deep stupid.
09:36This is bone-deep down to the mare of stupid.
09:42Because the United Nations wants the United Kingdom to feel guilty,
09:47they want to give our military base and their military base to Mauritius.
09:54Now, the prime minister of the United Kingdom can stop this.
09:59And Marco Rubio, our new Secretary of State, is against it.
10:03And I haven't talked to him directly, but I think President Trump is against it.
10:09The United Kingdom is our friend.
10:11I went to school there for a while.
10:13I love him.
10:14And I want to see their prime minister do well.
10:17But he needs to put down the bong.
10:19He needs to put down the bong.
10:23This makes absolutely no sense.
10:28And it's going to be a big part of his legacy.
10:31If he gives away this island and our military base,
10:36in effect, what will eventually be China.
10:39So I would say to the prime minister tonight,
10:43I don't mean any disrespect.
10:44I want to say this respectfully.
10:46I shouldn't have said the bong part.
10:49I take it back.
10:51Please, Mr. Prime Minister, don't do this.
10:54Don't do this.
10:56We'll stand with you in telling the United Nations who's upset with you
11:02to go fill out a hurt feelings report because we're not doing it.
11:05We'll stand with you.
11:06Please say no.
11:08Don't give our military base away.
11:11It's going to really hurt the relationship
11:13between the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
11:16I know Donald Trump pretty well.
11:19I know Marco Rubio pretty well.
11:22They'll forgive, but they'll never, ever forget.
11:26Don't do it, Mr. Prime Minister.
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