UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says Trump deserved midterm defeat

British Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has said United States President Donald Trump deserved to be defeated in the midterm elections, describing the setback as “entirely self-inflicted.”

In an interview with The Independent, Badenoch criticised Trump’s handling of the Iran war, his trade policies and his treatment of allies. She said his approach did not reflect conservative principles.

The Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s midterms, flipping at least seven Senate seats and more than two dozen House districts in a major blow to Trump’s Republican Party.

Asked whether Trump deserved the defeat, Badenoch replied: “Yeah. He has not been acting in the way that I would consider conservative.”

She condemned his tariffs, threats towards Canada and Greenland, and disputes with allies, saying they contradicted the conservative emphasis on free markets and better trade.

“Where is the push for free markets and better trade… rather than protectionism, America first, the squabbling with allies? That’s not what conservatives do,” she said.

Badenoch also criticised Trump’s personal attacks on journalists and  political figures, stating that his conduct fell short of the standards expected of a statesman.

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“Trump is very charming in person, but you see the way that he talks about journalists, about individuals. It doesn’t meet the standards a statesman should meet – always wanting to get dirty in terms of insults and so on,” she said.

She expressed particular unhappiness with Trump’s remarks about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and described his treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House as “awful.”

On the Iran conflict, Badenoch said she understood and supported Trump’s initial decision to take military action due to concerns about Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, but questioned the lack of a clear strategy.

“We don’t want them getting nuclear weapons. But where’s the plan?” she asked.

Badenoch added that she would have been content if Trump had lost the 2024 presidential election to Kamala Harris. When asked which of the two candidates she preferred, she said: “I would say I like them both equally. Make of that what you will.”

She further argued that Trump had squandered the broad coalition of voters that helped him win the presidency, including increased support from Latino and Black voters.

“What’s the first thing he does? Tariffs, and then talking about Greenland and Canada. A lot of people were wondering, ‘What are you doing?’” she said.

Badenoch became leader of the UK Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition in November 2024. Born Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke in London in 1980 to Nigerian parents, she previously served as Business and Trade Secretary under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.