Trump Says His Brexit Negotiation Advice ‘Too Brutal’ for PM May, Warns Her on Trade

Brexit
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Jack Montgomery

President Donald J Trump offered Prime Minister Theresa May some kind words at their joint press conference at Chequers, but hinted he was not convinced she will deliver Brexit, and asked her to make sure she wins back the country’s trade powers if she does — and told the press she may yet take his “brutal” advice on how to deal with Brussels.

The President thanked the Prime Minister for her “very gracious hospitality”, saying he would not soon forget the “magnificent” Blenheim Palace, birthplace of wartime leader Winston Churchill.

President Trump was full of praise for the British and the British-American relationship, describing the two peoples as having “a bond that is like no other”.

“The relationship between our two nations is indispensable to the cause of liberty, justice, and peace,” he declared.

“The United Kingdom and the United States are bound together by a common historic heritage, language, and heroes. The traditions of freedom, sovereignty, and the true rule of law were our shared gift to the world; they’re now our priceless inheritance to a civilisation. We must never cease to be united in their defence, and in their renewal.”

But, on the subject of his prediction that May’s ultra-soft Brexit plan would “kill” the prospect of a British-American trade agreement, he was not shy about saying she should not throw away the commercial opportunities which Brexit represents.

“I want to thank Prime Minister May for pursuing fair and reciprocal trade with the United States once the Brexit process is concluded, and perhaps the UK has left the EU,” he said, suggesting he was not convinced she would really leave the bloc.

“I don’t know what they’re going to do, but whatever you do is okay with me, that’s your decision — whatever you’re going to do is okay with us. Just make sure we can trade together,” he added.

Asked about Brexit by the press in the question and answer session, he said: “Look, the Prime Minister, she’s gotta make a decision as to what she’s going to do. The only thing I ask of Theresa is that we make sure we can trade; that we don’t have any restrictions, because we want to trade with the UK and the UK wants to trade with us,” he said.

“We’re by far their biggest trading partner, and we have a tremendous opportunity to double, triple, quadruple that, so if they going a slightly different route… I just said that I hope you’re going to be able to trade with the United States.”

Currently, the United Kingdom is locked into the EU’s centrally-regulated Single Market, Customs Union, and Common Commercial Policy, and is not allowed to negotiate its own trade deals.

Theresa May insists her Brexit plan would take back the country’s trade powers — but only in theory, according to many critics, as it would replicate much of the current customs and regulatory obligations to the EU and make negotiating bilateral deals all but impossible.

“As far as the advice, I did give her a suggestion, I wouldn’t say advice — and I think she found it maybe too brutal,” he revealed.

“I could see that. I don’t know if you remember what I said,” he added, turning towards the Tory leader briefly.

“I did give her a suggestion, not advice, I wouldn’t want to give her advice… I could fully understand why she thought it was a little bit tough, [but] maybe some day she’ll do [what I suggested], if [the EU] don’t make the right deal she might very well do what I suggested.

“But it is not an easy thing [to deal with the EU],” he added sympathetically.

“Look at the United States, how the European Union has taken advantage of the United States systematically on trade — it’s a disgrace.

“So, it’s not an easy negotiation.”

The President suggested that remaining bound to the EU’s trade policy would be a very bad idea — “because we do not have a fair deal with the European Union right now on trade; they treat the United States horribly, and that’s gotta change, and if it doesn’t change they’re going to pay a very heavy price,” he warned.

Trump also recalled how he predicted Brexit ahead of the referendum while on a visit to Scotland.

“The reason I felt it was going to happen is because of immigration… If you remember, Barack Obama said, ‘Well, you’re country will have to get on the back of the line if [it leaves the EU]’ — which I thought is a terrible thing to say, frankly,” he recalled.

“As far as negotiating the deal, I probably would have done what my suggestion was to the Prime Minister, but she can always [still] do that,” he repeated.

“She can do that, at some point. She can do what I suggested to her.”

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