President misremembers where he witnessed Brexit referendum
DONALD TRUMP yesterday claimed he predicted the Brexit result while at his Turnberry golf course in Scotland on the day of the referendum – despite having arrived in the UK the day after the vote.
The president was criticised for his comments, which were then repeated by his former spokesman.
Mr Trump’s tweets from 2016 show he left America for Turnberry after polls had closed in the EU referendum, arriving on the morning of June 24.
He tweeted in the early hours of June 24 2016: “Leaving now for a one-night trip to Scotland” before praising the “brave and brilliant vote”.
At yesterday’s press conference in Chequers, Mr Trump said: “As you will remember I was opening Turnberry the day before Brexit and we had an unbelievably large number of reporters there. They asked for my opinion and I said I think Brexit will happen. The reason why I knew it was going to happen was because of immigration, and one of the reasons I got elected was because of immigration. I felt that Brexit had the upper hand, and most people didn’t agree with me.”
While Mr Trump’s account of events was quickly refuted by journalists, his team insisted he was telling the truth.
Stephanie Grisham, the director of communications for Melania Trump and previously a deputy press secretary for Mr Trump, said: “He did. It actually is true. I was there. June 23.
“I have photos … I remember sitting in the pub the night before, watching the results come in.”
However, Mr Trump did discuss the referendum the day before, in an interview with Fox News in the US. He said: “When you look at the things that are going on over there my inclination would be to go it alone. I’m right in the middle of it. I’ll be over there just as the decision’s coming in.”
‘I felt that Brexit had the upper hand, and most people didn’t agree with me’