Burnham exchanged messages with person posing as Trump's chief of staff

In the United Kingdom on 17 August 2026, the Telegraph, the Financial Times, the BBC and CNN reported that Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with a person posing as Trump's chief of staff. German and Spanish outlets described the impostor as a woman posing as Trump's chief of staff. Al Jazeera and Newsmax said Burnham was duped by an impostor, and Breitbart called the messages hoax White House messages.

The Daily Express also reported a statement by Trump after a phone call with Burnham.