Donald Trump has hinted at his enthusiasm for a UK-US trade deal because “you don’t hear the word Britain anymore” as suggested he was concerned about Scottish independence because of the threat to the British Open.
POLITICO has published a transcript of the interview the US President gave to the Wall Street Journal where Trump ranges across a series of domestic and international issues.
In one section, Trump is asked about his tweet where he promised a “very big and exciting” trade deal with the UK after Brexit.
The message landed as the International Trade Secretary Liam Fox visited Washington DC to begin talks over the prospect of a bi-lateral trade deal once the UK leaves the European Union.
Golfing enthusiast Trump, whose family business owns courses in Scotland and Ireland, responded enigmatically about the shape of the deal to the WSJ at first, before changing gear to discuss Scottish independence and golf.
Wall Street Journal: You tweeted this morning about trade talks with Britain.
Trump: Yes.
Wall Street Journal: Can you tell us more about what’s going on?
Trump: No, but I can say that we’re going to be very involved with the U.K. I mean, you don’t hear the word Britain anymore. It’s very interesting. It’s like, nope.
Wall Street Journal: I work with a Brit.
Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Gerard Baker: I’m English. We always make that point. You’re right, yeah.
Trump: Is Scotland going to go for the vote, by the way? You don’t see it. It would be terrible. They just went through hell.
Baker: (Inaudible) – but they’re going to be –
Trump: They just went through hell.
Baker: Besides, the first minister’s already made it clear she –
Trump: What do you think? You don’t think so, right?
Baker: I don’t.
Trump: One little thing, what would they do with the British Open if they ever got out? They’d no longer have the British Open.
Baker: (Inaudible.)
Trump: Scotland. Keep it in Scotland.
The last Open Championship to be staged at St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, was in 2015.
“I mean, you don’t hear the word Britain anymore. It’s very interesting. It’s like, nope.”
- Donad Trump
In the UK’s benefits column, Trump has shown a dislike of multi-national trade deals, and wants to strike pacts that keep jobs in the US.
He abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement on sweeping to power and has been critical of the North America Free Trade Agreement.
Despite the series of controversies surrounding his presidency, Trump was able to squeeze in at least eight rounds of golf over the course of July, it has been reported by the Washington Post.