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Prime Minister Andy Burnham of Britain met with President Trump for the first time on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.
Published Sept. 22, 2026Updated Sept. 23, 2026, 5:15 a.m. ET
There may be no more nail-biting diplomatic moment for a world leader in recent years than the first face-to-face meeting with the always unpredictable President Trump.
But Prime Minister Andy Burnham of Britain drew praise on Tuesday from Mr. Trump, who called Mr. Burnham a “natural business person” and said he expects to be able to work with the prime minister because “he gets it.”
The president’s generally positive comments about his fellow leader came after a brief meeting between the two men on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. Their appearance in front of news cameras following their meeting was the kind of venue that Mr. Trump sometimes uses to skewer his political opponents.
Instead, Mr. Burnham, who took office just 64 days ago, emerged from the engagement largely unscathed. He was set to deliver a short speech later in the evening at the U.N. and planned to be back in London by Wednesday.
“It’s been great to be with you and the team today we really, really appreciate it,” Mr. Burnham told Mr. Trump, at times appearing slightly nervous. “Thank you very much.”
The era of good feelings between Mr. Burnham and Mr. Trump may yet end up being short-lived, much as it was between the president and Keir Starmer, the prime minister’s immediate predecessor.
