The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
May confident Trump will make ‘right decisions’
PM trusts US President not to ‘press the button or be reckless’
Prime Minister Theresa May has said she believes US President Donald Trump will do what is right for global security in the current crisis over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.
Mr Trump’s warning that he could unleash “fire and fury” and Pyongyang’s carrying out of hydrogen bomb and ballistic missile tests has prompted concern over the prospect of the crisis escalating into military conflict.
But asked whether she trusted Mr Trump not to “press the button or be reckless”, Mrs May stressed the President was surrounded by “very good advisers” who would help him make the right decisions.
“I believe that Donald Trump as American President will take the decisions that are right for security and safety around the world,” said the Prime Minister during an interview on BBC Radio 5.
“He has very good advisers around him in some of the individuals he has in key roles of state, defence and so forth. “And we will work with them. “I had a call with him earlier this week, talking exactly about North Korea and what we can do together, particularly at the United Nations ... and how we can work with other countries to achieve what we all want, which is for North Korea to stop what is illegal activity.”
Mrs May stressed the need for concerted international action to put pressure on the regime of Kim Jong-Un.
“I think it’s important for the international community to work together at this time and to be pressing North Korea, to be pressing China as well, obviously, as the country that perhaps has most leverage in terms of North Korea,” she said.
The PM played down the difficulty of dealing with Mr Trump, insisting she had enjoyed some “good, positive discussions” with Mr Trump, including over his support to Nato.
“You work with Donald Trump as any Prime Minister would work with any American President. It’s about building a relationship,” she said.
“The point is that the United Kingdom and the United States have a special relationship.
“It’s been there for decades with a whole variety of prime ministers and presidents.
“But it’s important that we have that relationship because it’s important for our safety and security and the role that we are both able to play.”
She dodged a question over whether the world was a safer place with Trump in the White House, replying: “I think there are quite a few challenges in the world at the moment. The role that America plays in keeping the world safe is very important.”