DONALD Trump dropped a massive hint that Brexit Britain will be spared from punishing tariffs he plans to slap on Europe within days.
Hailing Brexit as a huge success when quizzed by The Sun, the President declared: “I have a great warm spot for your country.”
President Trump welcomes Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer[/caption]
Asked whether the UK had to choose between a closer relationship with the EU and the US, the President said: “Well, I think we have just a great relationship”
On Brexit, Mr Trump declared: “Frankly what they did was the right thing at the time and probably prove out over the centuries.
“I predicted it would happen and it did happen. It will work itself out, I think it’s already worked itself out.”
Asked if the UK would jeopardise its relationship with the US by seeking closer ties with the EU, Mr Trump said: “No, I don’t worry about that” later adding “it would work out” for Britain.
He added: “I’ve had problems with the EU, we happen to have a great relationship with you, but we did and do have problems with the EU because they have tariffed us.
And he hammered home the point that quitting the EU had been the right thing to do.
“We’re talking about a very different place” to the EU, he said of the UK citing his own golf course interests vin the UK.
He said: “I have investments, I own Turnberry, I own Aberdeen, I own a great place called Doonbeg … so I have a great warm spot for your country.”
Sitting beside him in the Oval Office, Sir Keir Starmer made the case that the UK should be exempt from tariffs.
He said: “ Our trade is obviously fair and balanced, and you have a a bit of a surplus..
Trump: It will work out.. We will have to take a look we are going to have a good discussion today.
Asked about his comments that the EU was designed to “screw the US”, Mr Trump joked: “Did I use the word you said, the bad word? They sue our companies… We don’t like the way they are treating our people, they way they treat our companies.
They sell us cars, we dont sell us cars
They don’t take much of our agriculture. We have a deficit with them $350bn
He added: “So I wouldn’t say it’s been such a great relationship personally but other people have said it’s good because it’s politically correct to say its good but it isn’t good.
And we are going to change that and we are going to have reciprocal tariffs. Whatever they charge us, we are going to charge them.”
The only fly in the ointment to an unprecedented Oval Office love in came after, Vice President JD Vance’s comments about free speech being under threat in Britain.
Handing over to his deputy, the Vice President said: “Look, I said what I said, which is that we do have, of course, a special relationship with our friends in the UK, and also some of our European allies, but we also know that there have been infringements on free speech that actually affect not just the British – of course what the British do in their own country is up to them – but also affect American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens, so that is something that we’ll talk about today at lunch.”
Sir Keir hit back: “Well, we’ve had free speech for a very, very long time in the United Kingdom and it will last for a very, very long time.
“Certainly, we wouldn’t want to reach across US citizens, and we don’t, and that’s absolutely right, but in relation to free speech in the UK I’m very proud of our history there.”
