As Theresa May hosted the US President at Blenheim Palace, it was revealed that when in Brussels for the NATO Summit, President Trump conducted an interview with the Sun newspaper, outlining his views on Brexit, as well as other matters relating to the UK. The comments made in the interview were revealed just before Mrs. May, and the President sat down for a meal with 150 business leaders from both the US and UK, as she hoped to discuss the future trading relationship between the two countries.
On his trip, the President will have a private meeting with the PM at her country residence in Chequers to discuss trade amongst other issues before meeting the Queen at Windsor.
It is important to note that this is a ‘working visit’ and not a ‘state visit.’ The difference between these two being on a state visit is, the UK taxpayer pays for the upkeep and cost of the visitor, whereas on a working visit, it is the responsibility on the visitor to pay for their own needs.
Trump trashes ‘soft’ Brexit proposal
In his interview with the Sun, President Trump said the UK would "probably not” achieve a trade deal with the US should the PM go ahead with her proposed option for Brexit, according to the BBC. He said the reason for this was because instead of dealing with the UK, Mrs. May’s plan would mean that the US would still have to deal with the EU, which the President has shown open hostility towards.
Mr. Trump went on to say that he “told Theresa May how to do it but she didn’t agree, she didn’t listen to me,” as reported by Sky News. He continued by saying he would have handled Brexit very differently to the PM.
However., it is important to note that in his press conference with the PM at Chequers today, he struck at a much more conciliatory tone, stating that he thinks Mrs.
May is doing a very good job with Brexit and he merely made suggestions, rather than gave advice. As of yet, there has been no official government response to the President’s remarks, but this is surely a major blow to the Prime minister, as she says one of the strengths of her proposal is that it will allow the UK to do their own trade deals with countries like the US.
President praises Boris Johnson while criticising Sadiq Khan
In his interview, the President also said that there was still a possibility of meeting Boris Johnson, who resigned from the government this week due to his opposition to the PM’s Brexit proposal. He praised Mr. Johnson, saying he had what it takes “to be a great prime minister” and that “he is a great representative for your country,” according to Sky News.
The President also continued his war of words with London Mayor Sadiq Khan during his working visit, saying that he had done a “terrible job,” as he feels that Mr. Khan has mishandled the terror situation in London and has allowed the rise of knife crime, as reported by the BBC. The Mayor has responded to this, saying that the President only seems to criticise him rather than any other Mayors who are struggling with similar problems.
He has also defended his decision to allow the use of a giant ‘baby blimp’ to be used by protesters in the capital during Mr. Trump’s visit.
When the President met the PM again at Chequers, he said that he admired Mrs. May and praised her handling of Brexit, possibly trying to heal the divisions created by the interview he gave to the Sun newspaper. Mr. Trump will go on this afternoon to meet the Queen at Windsor before going up to Scotland to visit one of his golf courses.
With the Brexit bill proposal being released yesterday to MPs and with the PM already having considerable opposition amongst her own backbenchers, Mrs. May would have been hoping for reassuring words from our ‘closest ally’, but it seems all she can hope for is to just keep him quiet for the remainder of the trip as she tries to fend off yet another attack on her premiership.
