OAN Staff Blake Wolf
8:38 AM – Thursday, September 18, 2025
President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer held a joint press conference to announce a new “tech prosperity deal” and praise the relationship between the U.S. and the UK.
Prior to Thursday’s press conference, the two world leaders convened to discuss the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, trade talks, and reached an agreement on the “Tech Prosperity Deal,” which includes investments in artificial intelligence and numerous emerging tech industries.
During the signing, President Trump praised the special relationship with the United Kingdom, calling the technology deal the “next logical step.”
“I think it’s an unbreakable bond we have, regardless of what we’re doing today,” Trump stated. “I want to thank all of the incredibly talented business leaders, the best in the world, the biggest in the world, here this afternoon for investing in the Anglo-American Alliance.”
“There’s no more natural partnership in the world,” he continued. “We’re building up the industrial capacity of both of our countries, which is crucial to our defense.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, along with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and press secretary Karoline Leavitt, were all present for the joint press conference at Chequers in Buckinghamshire, England.
While President Trump convened with Starmer, First Lady Melania Trump spent the day with Queen Camilla and Princess Catherine of Wales.
The presser began with Starmer celebrating the signing of the “Tech Prosperity Deal,” which is meant to propel the two nations forward in the AI race, as well as advancements in science and other emerging technology.
“The United Kingdom and United States stand together today [as] first partners on defense, first partners on trade and now, with the new agreement that we’ve just signed this afternoon, we’ve confirmed our status as the first partners of science and technology ready to define this century together,” Starmer stated.
Starmer went on to proclaim that the deal with the United States will help “in jobs, in growth, in lower bills to put more hard-earned cash in people’s pockets at the end of each month.”
The British prime minister also praised Trump for “leading the way” in aggressively pursuing an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, while calling for an end to the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
President Trump spoke after Starmer, boasting that the United States has become an “economic superstar” since he returned to office, noting that the U.S. has since secured $17 trillion in foreign investments.
The president also spoke about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, stating that he believed he had a “good shot” at becoming president one day.
“Just last week, a great American, Charlie Kirk, was heinously assassinated for speaking his mind,” Trump stated. “he was a great young man, credible future. Some people said he might be president someday. I told him, I said, ‘Charlie, I think you have a good shot someday of being president.'”
“Charlie was a great person,” he continued. “He just wanted to take care of youth. He loved youth. I’ve never seen anybody relate to youth like Charlie, and they related to him.”
“I appreciate the many British citizens who have offered their condolences. And again, Charlie was a great person.”
President Trump then discussed the war in Gaza, proclaiming that he “wants the hostages released now.”
“Not one, two, we’ll give you three more tomorrow,” he continued. “We have to remember October 7th.”
“I have a disagreement with the prime minister on that score,” Trump added, referencing Starmer’s imminent announcement of recognizing a Palestinian state.
Additionally, President Trump spoke about the Russia-Ukraine war, explaining that Russian President Vladimir Putin “let me down.”
“Millions of people have died in that war, millions of souls,” Trump stated. “Mostly soldiers. … And I feel I have an obligation to get it settled.”
Trump added that Putin is “losing many people and he’s losing more people than he’s killing … I don’t like to see it. It doesn’t affect the U.S. other than if you end up in a world war over this thing.”
Meanwhile, Starmer urged European nations to avoid purchasing Russian oil, a key sector Moscow utilizes to fund its war efforts, echoing Trump’s letter from last week.
“It is a challenge to Europe. There are a number … that are too reliant on energy from Russia,” Starmer stated. “There are one or two countries that do need to look again.”
“If the price of oil comes down, he’s going to drop out of that war,” Trump interjected.
The president is expected to head back to the White House later today.
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