United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak crossed the pond for a two-day visit to Washington, D.C., this week.
His “busy schedule” included meetings with President Joe Biden and other lawmakers at the Capitol, a baseball game with Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, and many conversations with U.S. businesses, but Sunak said he was too busy to meet with former President Donald Trump.
A spokesperson for Romney declined to comment on the meeting.
Romney, a Republican, and Sunak attended a game between the Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks for “UK-US Friendship Day,” according to the British news media.
Per Bloomberg, the U.K. leader noted on his flight from London that his sport “is more cricket than baseball in any case.”
When asked if he would be meeting with Trump, Sunak said: “I’ve got a pretty busy schedule,” according to Politico.
“I’m meeting key congressional leaders from both sides and obviously the president,” he continued. “Those are the key engagements that I have.”
Sunak met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and attended roundtable sessions with other lawmakers, according to The Times.
This is his first visit to the U.S. since becoming prime minister.
Trump has a better relationship with the former U.K. prime minister, Boris Johnson, who he considers a friend. The two met last week to discuss Ukraine.
In the past, Trump has described Boris as “a good man” and the “Britain Trump,” according to BBC.
Trump is the leading Republican candidate for the 2024 election, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is his top opponent.
When DeSantis visited the U.K. in April, he didn’t meet with Sunak but British foreign minister James Cleverly and International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch from Sunak’s cabinet met with him.
This week, Sunak will also meet with Biden at the White House to discuss how the two countries can work together on economic issues and on the rise of artificial intelligence, according to a press release from 10 Downing Street.
While speaking to reporters, Sunak said that discussing “economic security” is important.
“But when it does come to trade, what we have been doing with the U.S., we are looking at specific and targeted ways to improve trade between our countries,” he said, according to The Independent.
“It’s also worth saying that we already have an unbelievably strong trading relationship with the U.S.”