And that is what Sir Keir managed and so hence his team’s relief.
They have now – on several occasions – managed to tame Trump during their joint public appearances.
It is not that the two men agree on everything, far from it.
Their instincts, communication styles and politics are wildly different, but Trump’s disagreements with Sir Keir were somehow channelled past him, rather than at him.
The UK is expected to recognise a Palestinian state in the coming days – when, from Downing Street’s perspective, the president is safely back on his own side of the Atlantic. The president acknowledged to me he disagrees with the prime minister on this.
He said so explicitly, but gently, and only at the end of a lengthy answer which Starmer would have agreed with the thrust of.
Even his remarks about illegal immigration, while headline making, seem to have less impact in this the second half of the first year of his second term. The president’s willingness to comment on the internal politics of an ally feels more priced in, and so carries less shock value for many.