Trump blasts U.K. plan to transfer island with U.S. Navy base as ‘great stupidity’

President Trump on Tuesday blasted as an “act of great stupidity” the United Kingdom’s plan to transfer control of the Chagos Islands, home to a U.S. military base, to the nation of Mauritius.

The president’s criticism of the deal comes months after Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed the plan, saying it “secures the long-term, stable and effective operation” of a large military base on the island of Diego Garcia, which is part of the Chagos Islands.

The U.S. and U.K. operate a joint naval and bomber base on Diego Garcia, and Mr. Rubio said the agreement protects “a critical asset for regional and global security.”

But Mr. Trump said he views the transaction differently, saying the United Kingdom is giving away sovereignty of Diego Garcia “for no reason whatsoever,” and calling it “an act of great stupidity.”

“There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “These are international powers who only recognize strength, which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before.”

Mr. Trump also said that the transfer underscores the need for the U.S. to take control of Greenland, an idea that has been widely condemned by European leaders.

Under the May agreement, Mauritius will be given control of the islands, which sit in the Indian Ocean, and the United Kingdom will pay an average of $136 million a year to lease back Diego Garcia for 99 years and maintain the military base.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other British leaders have argued the move is necessary to avoid a messy legal fight. Displaced islanders have unsuccessfully fought the U.K. in court for years, after it evicted as many as 2,000 people in the 1960s and 1970s so the U.S. military could build the base.

The United Nations and its International Court of Justice have pressured the United Kingdom to cede control of the islands to Mauritius.

In May, Mr. Starmer said the deal was necessary to preserve the Diego Garcia base, calling it critical for both countries’ counterterrorism and intelligence efforts.

“By agreeing to this deal now on our terms, we’re securing strong protections, including from malign influence, that will allow the base to operate well into the next century, helping to keep us safe for generations to come,” Mr. Starmer told reporters at the time.