Trump downplays worries over Burnham’s exchange with Wiles impersonator

President Donald Trump dismissed worries about U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham's exchange with someone impersonating White House chief of staff Susie Wiles on Monday. When reporters inquired about his concerns regarding Burnham's judgment or the state of communication between the two countries, Trump assured them that he was "sure that he had a miscommunication." He further explained that he had spoken with Burnham "a couple of times" and described their conversations as "good."

The reports of the exchange emerged after POLITICO revealed that Burnham had communicated with an individual pretending to be Wiles before becoming wary of the illegitimate contact. According to a source cited by POLITICO, only "a few messages" were exchanged, and they were deemed "of no significance." In response to the incident, the British Embassy in Washington reached out to the White House, but a White House official dismissed the matter, stating that it had "nothing to do with the Chief of Staff’s devices being hacked."

This is not the first time the White House has dealt with security concerns related to the impersonation of Wiles. In May 2025, federal authorities investigated another attempt to impersonate the chief of staff following reports from senators, governors, and prominent business leaders that they had received messages from someone claiming to be Wiles, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Trump also suggested during the Monday press conference that Burnham consider opening up the North Sea, a notion he has previously proposed to potentially "make the U.K. rich." He explained, "If you open up the North Sea, it's one of the great finds anywhere in the world," and added, "if they would open up the North Sea, the UK would be rich again."