Global politics has never felt more like a boardroom with Donald Trump as the unpredictable businessman pulling all the strings.

This week, high-level diplomacy between world leaders has boiled down to two things: Keep the US president sweet whilst getting the bare minimum in return.

Keir Starmer’s visit encapsulated that perfectly.

Under any other administration, a promise not to veto the Chagos Island process, slap tariffs on UK goods or abandon NATO commitments was not necessary – all of this was a given.

But it’s a testament to Trump’s negotiating prowess, which though unsubtle has been highly effective, how quickly the dynamic has shifted.

He has, in a matter of weeks, lowered the bar so much that getting him to agree to the status quo is celebrated as a huge win.

It’s a simple brinksmanship approach that his made him successful in business and is now serving him well in international politics, backed up by the economic and military power of the US.

The prime minister’s early strategy of flattering in public and digging in behind the scenes has prevented an early diplomatic disaster.

But this approach will only go so far, especially with a trade deal on the horizon, where what is agreed will have implications for generations.

Giving the president what he wants to stay in favour and not feel his wrath is simply not an option without sacrificing decades of economic advantages.

So, the challenge for the rest of Trump’s term is to work out not just how to placate him, but how to negotiate at his level.