U.S. Ambassador Warren Stephens met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday to “convey the priorities of the Trump administration,” after President Donald Trump encouraged the U.K. to stop using wind power and focus on oil drilling.
The U.S. Embassy said these priorities include “maximizing the U.S.-U.K. partnership to advance our shared interests, such as the recently announced trade deal and our defense and security alliance which promotes stability and prosperity worldwide.”
The embassy stated this was the second meeting between the two since Stephens, a billionaire investment banker and Republican donor, began his role on May 12.
Stephens arrived shortly after both governments agreed on a trade deal where the Trump administration removed tariffs on U.K. autos, steel, and aluminum in exchange for greater access for American goods like beef and ethanol.
Trump posted on Truth Social Friday, calling the deal a success and saying it “is working out very well for all.”
However, he advised the U.K. to lower energy costs by stopping “the costly and unsightly windmills” and instead support oil drilling in the North Sea, which he said holds “large amounts of oil.”
President Donald Trump speaks with the reporters in front of the White HouseHe claimed the North Sea has “a century of drilling left, with Aberdeen as the hub,” and that more oil production would cause “U.K.’s Energy Costs would go WAY DOWN, and fast!”
Trump owns one of his two Scottish golf courses, Trump International Golf Links, near Aberdeen.
Britain is investing heavily in wind power with the goal of producing all its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and avoiding what Starmer described as “the rollercoaster of international fossil fuel markets.”
The Trump administration is taking a different approach — supporting fossil fuel development, cutting funding for clean energy and climate projects, and pushing back against the wind industry.
On Friday, Trump also warned of a 50% tax on all goods coming from the EU, saying trade negotiations with the 27-nation bloc “are going nowhere.”
