Trump walks back comments on Brexit after criticising May’s plan
LONDON/CHEQUERS: US President Donald Trump said on Friday he looked forward to finalising a trade deal with Britain, backtracking an interview in which he criticised Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plans by saying her proposal would kill such an agreement.
Addressing the news media after a bilateral meeting with May at her official country residence Chequers, Trump was effusive in his praise for her and said “whatever” the UK does after it leaves the EU is “OK with me”, adding that Brexit was an “incredible opportunity”.
Last week at the same location, May finally won agreement for her Brexit strategy from her cabinet but within days, two senior ministers quit, which Trump said earlier in the week had left Britain in “turmoil”.
In an interview published on Friday morning in The Sun newspaper, Trump dismissed May’s Brexit plans, tore into London mayor Sadiq Khan and said former foreign minister Boris Johnson would make a “great prime minister”.
Trump said if May went ahead with the “soft Brexit” plan outlined last Friday — that led to the resignations of Johnson and Brexit secretary David Davis — it will “kill” any prospect of a US-UK trade deal.
However, addressing the press at Chequers, Trump said “didn’t criticise” May in the interview, insisting he had a “lot of respect” for her. The interview was “generally fine” but missed out his positive comments about May — so amounted to “fake news”.
Pointing to May, Trump said “this incredible woman right here is doing a fantastic job, a great job”, and added that the US is looking forward to finalising a “great” bilateral trade agreement with the UK.
But he reiterated his belief that Europe’s decision to accept migrants from Middle Eastern and African countries is “a very negative thing for Europe.”
Trump acknowledged that his remarks were “politically not necessarily correct.” But he said European countries need to “watch themselves.”
However, The Sun said it stood by the interview.
“We stand by our reporting and the quotes we used — including those where the president was positive about the prime minister, in both the paper and in our audio... To say the president called us ‘fake news’ with any serious intent is, well... fake news,” the newspaper said.
In the interview, Trump had described Johnson as “a very talented guy”, adding: “I was very saddened to see he was leaving government and I hope he goes back in at some point. I think he is a great representative for your country.”
Asked if Johnson could be in No 10, Downing Street one day, he replied: “Well I am not pitting one against the other. I am just saying I think he would be a great Prime Minister. I think he’s got what it takes.”
Trump also claimed Khan — with whom he has clashed in the past — has “done a very bad job on terrorism”. He went on: “Take a look at the terrorism that is taking place. Look at what is going on in London. I think he has done a very bad job on terrorism”.