Eric Trump says the English prime minister risks ‘poisoning’ relations with America by meddling in the US elections.
In a deepening crisis for Sir Keir Starmer, the ex-president’s second son told the Daily Mail it was ‘quite disappointing’ to learn that 100 Labor officers had been dispatched from Britain to support Kamala Harris’ campaign to support.
Eric warned that if father Donald Trump is re-elected on November 5 – polls increasingly predict this will be the case – Starmer will find his actions have proven ‘counter-intuitive’ for Britain-US relations.
He dismissed any influence this might have on voters, saying a British Kamala Harris supporter knocking on doors in Georgia or Florida “would not be well received.”
“I have a general rule: I don’t get involved in the politics of other countries,” Eric said.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer arrives for a press conference during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Samoa on October 26
Eric Trump speaks with the Daily Mail at his office in Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday
“There are people from all over the world who are constantly involved in American politics. That never quite works and as an American citizen it makes me angry.”
The 40-year head of the Trump Organization, which has invested millions in golf courses in Scotland, said that “a Trump presidency would be unprecedented for Britain as long as people can embrace it and not play games.”
“You would think that a leader would want to make good friends with both parties, because it is only to a country’s advantage to have good relations with whoever actually wins the election,” Eric said.
“It poisons a relationship if the elections go in a different direction.”
The Trump campaign last week accused the British leader of “blatant foreign interference” and filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission in Washington, calling for an investigation into “illegal contributions” from Labor to the Harris campaign.
The British leader denied the complaint would damage relations with Trump if he won, saying Labor supporters were volunteering on their own time.
Eric told the Mail that the timing of the British left party’s intervention was “interesting”.
It comes as Trump makes progress in crucial swing states in the so-called Democratic Blue Wall, including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. If any of these states fall into Republican hands, the chances of a Harris victory are extremely slim.
Harris, who narrowly edged Trump on the betting markets last month, is now as much as 20 percentage points behind the former president.
“The momentum my dad has right now is incredible,” Eric said.
“So if my father wins, which is very likely – the bets have him winning – let’s just say that turns out to be true… What advantage did Britain have in sending an entire party to the United States?
‘How in the world does that help relations between Britain and the US? It’s so counterintuitive to me. I think a lot of people would find that quite disappointing.”
Donald Trump gestures as he arrives to speak at a Turning Point Action ‘United for Change’ campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 24
In its filing with the Federal Election Commission, Trump’s campaign cited a now-deleted LinkedIn post from Sofia Patel, Labor’s chief of operations, saying 100 current and former employees would volunteer in battleground states like North Carolina and Nevada.
Trump harkens back to America’s declaration of independence from British rule in 1776, saying Britain seems to have “forgotten” that the US wants to be free.
The rules on foreigners participating in US elections are strict, requiring them to do volunteer work and not receive any payment.
Patel’s post had said she had 10 spots to fill in North Carolina, adding, “We will get you housing.”
Labor said in a statement that all participating party members would do so at their own expense. Volunteers were commissioned by other local supporters. Starmer claimed they were there in their spare time.