'Awkward laughter' as Trump deflects Epstein question to UK prime minister

During his Thursday press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Donald Trump couldn't avoid the "E" word when asked by a British journalist about the firing of British Ambassador to the U.S. over ties to the late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Politico White House bureau chief Dasha Burns reported on X that the president responded, "I don't know him" in regards to Ambassador Peter Mandelson, who was terminated over links to Epstein. Trump, Burns reports, "[told] Starmer to answer the question… prompting awkward laughter in the room."

Mandelson was fired last week after leaked emails exposed just how close he was with Epstein.

Starmer said had he know the extent of their friendship, he would “never appointed” Mandelson in the first place. Starmer critics condemned the PM for "hiding from Parliament” because he was not present for the emergency debate on the former U.S. ambassador’s dismissal and his relationship with" Epstein.