Andy Burnham, who is set to become Britain’s prime minister on Monday, has shrugged off the challenge of dealing with President Trump.

“It’s about being yourself, isn’t it?” he told Gary Lineker, the former England soccer player turned podcast presenter, in a video interview last week. “It’s about respecting the office, the relationship, the U.K.-U.S. relationship. Where you disagree, do it. But do it in a way that is kind of meeting him where he’s at.”

Others have found that more difficult than it sounds.

Keir Starmer, Mr. Burnham’s predecessor, famously fawned over the American president in early 2025, hoping to avoid the consequences of Mr. Trump’s angry outbursts, often directed at allies. Many Britons still remember the image of Mr. Starmer, bending down to pick up papers that the president had dropped at a G7 summit.

Stroking Mr. Trump’s ego only goes so far, and the president eventually imposed tariffs on Britain anyway. And when Mr. Starmer refused the president’s request to use British bases to launch attacks at the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, Mr. Trump lashed out repeatedly at Mr. Starmer, calling him weak and a coward.

Mr. Burnham, who is often described as an effective political communicator, told Mr. Lineker that he had confidence in his ability to withstand the president’s larger-than-life persona.

“I like to think I’ve got some personality myself,” he said. “And I’ll just, you know, I’ll deal with him very upfront in the same way.”

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