Trump says Starmer rhetoric on Russia was 'too tough'
Former US president also suggested European warnings about Putin were 'too nasty'
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Relations were fraught between Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer (Alastair Grant/PA)
Photograph: The Independent (US) (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Donald Trump stated that former British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s language regarding Russia was excessively harsh.
- Trump also described recent European warnings about Vladimir Putin as "too nasty".
- French president Emmanuel Macron has requested plans to protect critical infrastructure from cyber and drone attacks.
- The US is discussing the possibility of allowing Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
61/100
Hype
41/100
7 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 7 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Donald Trump has claimed that former British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s rhetoric towards Russia was “too tough”. Mr Trump also suggested that recent warnings by European countries about the threat posed by Vladimir Putin were “too nasty”. These comments were made amid ongoing tensions between Russia and allies of Ukraine. French president Emmanuel Macron had asked his government to develop plans to safeguard critical infrastructure against drone and cyber attacks, in response to what he described as an intensifying Russian hybrid threat. The head of the Royal Navy, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, stated that Moscow represents “the greatest threat to our security today”. Mr Trump also said the US was discussing allowing Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles.
Disagreement on Starmer's rhetoric
The Independent reported that Donald Trump said of Sir Keir Starmer: “I think they’ll be OK, but I will say the rhetoric from your last prime minister was too tough. He has to be a little bit careful.” The Daily Mail reported Mr Trump said Starmer was too 'nasty and tough' towards Putin.
What the coverage left out
None of the left or centre-rated reports mentioned that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky was the first foreign leader hosted by the Prime Minister after arriving in Downing Street. None of the left or centre-rated reports mentioned Andy Burnham’s caution against “escalation” that could play into Russia’s hands.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 2 times, most recently on 22 Sept 2026, 23:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
4 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports led with Donald Trump’s criticism of Sir Keir Starmer’s rhetoric towards Russia. They also included Trump’s comments that European warnings about Putin were “too nasty”. The Independent’s full report mentioned Emmanuel Macron’s request for plans to safeguard critical infrastructure and the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky being hosted by the Prime Minister. It also detailed General Sir Gwyn Jenkins’ statement on Moscow posing the greatest security threat and Trump’s remarks about the US discussing Patriot missile production for Ukraine. The Independent also noted Trump’s conciliatory approach towards Putin and criticism of traditional allies, and reported on the UK government summoning a Russian diplomat following an alleged attack at Leipzig airport.
Centre
3 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports focused on Donald Trump’s assertion that Sir Keir Starmer was “too tough” and “nasty” in his dealings with Russia. The Evening Standard digest noted Trump’s conciliatory approach towards Vladimir Putin while criticising the former British prime minister. The Daily Mail digest stated that Mr Trump made these remarks while sitting next to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Trump says Starmer rhetoric on Russia was 'too tough'?
- Of the 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 57% are rated left, 43% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Trump says Starmer rhetoric on Russia was 'too tough' left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Trump says Starmer rhetoric on Russia was 'too tough' biased?
- Trump says Starmer rhetoric on Russia was 'too tough' is one event reported by 7 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Trump says Starmer rhetoric on Russia was 'too tough'?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Trump says Starmer rhetoric on Russia was 'too tough'?
- 7 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did Donald Trump say about Sir Keir Starmer's rhetoric?
- Donald Trump claimed that former British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s rhetoric towards Russia was “too tough”. He also suggested that the language used by Starmer was “too nasty”.
- What action has Emmanuel Macron taken regarding Russian threats?
- French president Emmanuel Macron has asked his government to draw up plans to safeguard critical infrastructure. This is in response to what he described as an intensifying Russian hybrid threat, including drone and cyber attacks.
- What did the head of the Royal Navy say about Russia?
- General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, the head of the Royal Navy, stated that Moscow poses “the greatest threat to our security today”. He also said Russia was constantly “probing” the UK for weaknesses, particularly its undersea cables.
- Is the US discussing missile production with Ukraine?
- Yes, Donald Trump said the US was discussing allowing Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles. This would help Ukraine defend itself against Russian attacks.
Read it at the source
7 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
4- Starmer talked ‘too tough’ over Russia, claims Trump amid Kremlin threat alert (opens The National in a new tab)
The National — is The National biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Starmer talked ‘too tough’ over Russia, claims Trump amid Kremlin threat alert (opens perspectivemedia.com in a new tab)
perspectivemedia.com — is perspectivemedia.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Starmer talked ‘too tough’ over Russia, claims Trump amid Kremlin threat alert (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Starmer talked ‘too tough’ over Russia, claims Trump amid Kremlin threat alert (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
3- Starmer talked ‘too tough’ over Russia, claims Trump amid Kremlin threat alert (opens Belfast Telegraph in a new tab)
Belfast Telegraph — is Belfast Telegraph biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Starmer talked ‘too tough’ over Russia, claims Trump amid Kremlin threat alert (opens Evening Standard in a new tab)
Evening Standard — is Evening Standard biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Starmer was too 'nasty and tough' towards Putin, Trump says (opens dailymail.com in a new tab)
dailymail.com — is dailymail.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
