Trump hails EU for ‘good job’ uniting in Brexit era

LONDON: US President Donald Trump praised the EU for doing ‘a very good job’ in uniting after Britain’s decision to quit the bloc, in a Financial Times interview published on Sunday.

“I would have thought when it happened that more (countries) would follow, but I really think the European Union is getting their act together,” Trump said of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.

The US president praised the bloc for doing ‘a very good job in bringing it back together’ since the shock referendum result in June. He lauded the EU for adopting ‘a different spirit for holding together’ in recent months.

Trump’s comments are a departure from his prediction in January that ‘other countries will leave’ the bloc following Brexit, which he then described as a ‘great thing’. His remarks in a joint interview to The Times and Bild newspapers came ahead of his inauguration, sparking an angry reaction among European leaders.

The EU ‘has no need for outside advice’, French President Francois Hollande said bluntly, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the time told reporters ‘We Europeans have our fate in our own hands’.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Trump claimed Brexit would be positive for both sides of the negotiating table.

“I actually think it is going to be a great deal for UK, and I think it is going to be really, really good also for the European Union,” he was quoted as saying. — AFP