Leavitt Spills the Tea: What Trump Said to Starmer Over Lunch Has Hannity Cracking Up

Karoline Leavitt has pulled back the curtain on one of the most awkward, and most revealing, moments of President Trump’s second state visit to the United Kingdom. The former White House press secretary says the president unloaded on then Prime Minister Keir Starmer over British immigration policy, and he did it at Starmer’s own table.

Leavitt shared the story on Sean Hannity’s “Hang Out” podcast, laughing as she described a scene that most diplomats would consider unthinkable. According to her, everyone was enjoying a lovely lunch in a beautiful setting when the president suddenly started, in her words, ripping into Starmer for his policies.

The lunch took place at Chequers, the prime minister’s country residence, during the September 2025 state visit. It came right after the two governments signed a tech prosperity deal, the kind of moment when world leaders normally exchange pleasantries and pose for photographs.

Instead, Leavitt says, the president delivered a blunt message. She recalled him telling Starmer that his policies were so stupid and that Britain needed to close its borders. She said he also urged the British leader to deport the people illegally living in the country.

Then came the line that has since made the rounds online. Leavitt said Trump told Starmer he knew the country and knew the British people, and that they hated what the government was doing. It was a remarkable thing to say to a host, and it was said face to face.

Leavitt described Starmer as simply sitting there while it happened. She noted that this was his house and his country, not the White House and not American territory. She said she and Stephen Miller exchanged a look that said, oh boy, here we go.

Asked whether she found the whole thing entertaining, Leavitt said of course she did. She called the president’s candor one of his greatest qualities and said what you see with Trump is exactly what you get, whether the cameras are rolling or not.

That is precisely what many voters like about him. For decades, American presidents said one thing in public and another behind closed doors, hiding behind polished language while their nations drifted. Trump says the same thing in a private lunch that he says at a rally, and his supporters see that consistency as honesty.

The president’s message also happens to reflect a genuine and growing concern among ordinary Britons. Immigration has been one of the most contentious issues in British politics for years, and polling and street level frustration have made clear that many voters felt Starmer’s government was not taking their worries seriously.

Leavitt’s account also included insight into how the president handles other world leaders. She described tense phone calls with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, and said Trump pressed China to buy more American soybeans to support U.S. farmers. The through line, she said, was that the president is the same man in every conversation.

The story lands at an interesting moment in British politics. Starmer is now out, and Andy Burnham has taken over as prime minister. Trump has said his first call with the new leader went very well and pledged American support.

The president also took a small parting shot at the previous government when he met Burnham at the UN General Assembly in New York this week. Asked about the state of US and UK relations, he said they were more up now than they were under the last prime minister, and he left it at that.

Not everyone on the right loved Leavitt’s storytelling, it should be said. A Newsmax reporter criticized her for what he called gossiping about private meetings, arguing that these kinds of conversations should stay behind closed doors. It is a fair debate, and reasonable conservatives can land on either side of it.

Leavitt herself stepped down from her post in August, saying she wanted to spend more time with her growing family. Trump asked her to keep advising him from the outside, which is why she remains a close and trusted voice in the president’s orbit.

Her willingness to tell these stories on a friendly platform also reflects the reality of modern media. The traditional press corps spent years assuming it was the only channel between the White House and the public. Podcasts and friendly interviews have blown that assumption apart.

The left, of course, will treat the story as proof that Trump is undiplomatic. Critics have said the same thing since 2016, and voters have rewarded him with two terms anyway. Many Americans believe that a president who tells allies hard truths is worth more than one who nods politely while problems grow.