House Speaker Johnson Addresses British Parliament, Pledges to “Calm the Waters”

U.S. House Speaker Johnson Addresses British Parliament Amid Transatlantic Tensions

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a historic address to Britain’s Parliament on Tuesday, presenting himself as a diplomatic peacemaker amid growing tensions between Washington and European allies over President Donald Trump’s controversial push to acquire Greenland.

“I spoke to President Trump at length yesterday, and I told him that I really felt that my mission here today was to encourage our friends and help to calm the waters, so to speak,” Johnson said in the first address ever given by a sitting U.S. House speaker to the British Parliament.

The high-profile visit comes at a particularly delicate moment for transatlantic relations. Just hours before Johnson’s speech, Trump had sharply criticized UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer over a deal involving the Chagos Islands, further straining the relationship between the two traditional allies.

Johnson emphasized that despite current disagreements, the U.S.-UK alliance remains fundamentally sound. “We’ve always been able to work through our differences calmly as friends. We will continue to do that,” he said. “I want to assure you this morning that that is still the case.”

The speaker’s diplomatic mission takes place on the eve of America’s 250th anniversary, a milestone Johnson framed not just as a celebration but as a moment for reflection and recommitment, particularly as Western democracies confront both external threats and internal divisions.

During his address, Johnson highlighted what he described as growing threats from authoritarian rivals. “We see China, Russia and Iran grow more aggressive and emboldened as they intensify their efforts to exert economic, political, and military influence around the world,” he warned, adding that these nations show “a callous disregard for basic human rights, new provocations, and even the theft of intellectual property on a scale like we have never seen before.”

The Arctic region has become a particular flashpoint in recent weeks, with Trump’s interest in Greenland raising concerns across Europe. Denmark, which maintains sovereignty over Greenland as an autonomous territory, has firmly rejected any possibility of selling the world’s largest island to the United States.

Johnson defended Trump’s focus on the Arctic as a response to legitimate security concerns. “Clearly, President Trump is taking seriously the modern and dynamic threats that China and Russia pose to our global security, and especially and in focus the last few days as it relates to the Arctic,” he said.

The speech sought to reassure European allies that Trump’s “America First” approach does not mean “America alone.” Johnson praised NATO members for increasing defense spending and highlighted cooperative security frameworks like the AUKUS alliance between Australia, the UK and the United States.

“Whether it’s NATO’s nations historic commitment to raise their investment in defense… or the AUKUS alliance deepening its cooperation in submarines and undersea defense, our partnership is proving that nations can prioritize their individual interests responsibly,” Johnson said.

The speaker’s visit is part of a broader diplomatic effort by U.S. officials to smooth relations with European partners. A congressional delegation has also recently visited Denmark amid the backlash over Trump’s Greenland ambitions, where concerns about potential U.S. military intentions have sparked anxiety.

Throughout his address, Johnson emphasized shared values between the two nations, suggesting that military and economic power must be underpinned by common principles. “Strong and lethal militaries matter,” he said. “Robust and thriving economies matter, but they mean little if we forget what we’re fighting for.”

The speech highlighted the balancing act facing U.S. officials as they attempt to maintain longstanding alliances while implementing Trump’s more assertive and transactional approach to foreign policy. Johnson’s mission to “calm the waters” underscores growing recognition in Washington that the administration’s recent moves have created diplomatic turbulence requiring active management.