Trump makes a 180-degree turn on the United Kingdom

London- President Trump has called the United Kingdom’s decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius (a deal his administration previously supported) an act of “great stupidity” that further justifies his desire for the United States acquire greenland. One of the islands, Diego Garcia, is the site of a key military base between the United Kingdom and the United States in the Indian Ocean.

“Surprisingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to gift the island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital US military base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON,” Trump said early Tuesday on his own Truth Social platform. “There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of utter weakness. These are International Powers that only recognize STRENGTH, which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before. The United Kingdom giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a long list of National Security reasons why Greenland must be acquired. Denmark and its European allies have to DO WHAT CORRECT. Thank you for your attention to this matter, PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP.”

Trump issued his statement while U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, was in the United Kingdom to address the British parliament, where he told lawmakers that the United States and the United Kingdom “have always been able to resolve our differences calmly as friends. We will continue to do so. I want to assure you this morning that that remains the case.”

The Chagos Islands were separated from Mauritius, which was then a British colony, in 1965.

The United Kingdom bought the islands for the equivalent of about $4 million, News themezone partner BBC News reported, but Mauritius had long argued that it was forced to give up the islands to gain independence in 1968. The United Kingdom invited the United States to build a military base on Diego Garcia Island, and it has become a cornerstone of American defense infrastructure in the vast Indian Ocean region.

In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued a non-binding ruling calling on the United Kingdom to relinquish control of the Chagos Islands, saying it had unfairly forced people living on Diego Garcia to leave to make way for the military base.

That ruling, in part, prompted the agreement reached in 2024 for the United Kingdom to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. As part of the deal, Britain was able to maintain control of the Diego Garcia military base through a 99-year lease, at a cost to the UK of around $136 million a year.

The Trump administration previously supported the Chagos Islands agreement, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio issuing a statement in May of last year saying: “following a comprehensive interagency review, the Trump Administration determined that this agreement ensures the effective, stable, long-term operation of the joint US-UK military facility at Diego Garcia.”

Rubio said at the time that Trump had “expressed his support for this monumental achievement during his meeting with Prime Minister Starmer at the White House,” calling the base “a critical asset for regional and global security.”

In a statement to News themezone on Tuesday, a UK government spokesperson said Britain “will never compromise our national security,” noting that the deal with Mauritius was reached “because the base at Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it from operating as intended in the future.”

“This agreement secures the operations of the US-UK joint base at Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions to keep its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out,” the British government said, noting that it had previously been “publicly welcomed by the US, Australia and all other Five Eyes allies, as well as key international partners including India, Japan and South Korea.”

The Five Eyes refer to the close defense and intelligence partnership between the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.