With his inauguration days away, what better time for Donald Trump to give his first UK interview as president-elect.
The Times picked Tory politician Michael Gove to do the honours, and with trade and the special relationship high on the agenda, here’s everything we learned from the interview.
He thinks Brexit was a good move
Phew. We can all relax, Mr Trump told Michael Gove that 'Brexit is a good idea.' I was worried for a while but I'm happy now. Woot.
— Robert Llewellyn (@bobbyllew) January 16, 2017
Trump is as humble as we’ve come to expect, claiming that he correctly predicted the outcome of the referendum vote and also saying that it’s “going to end up being a great thing”.He thinks that the EU is dominated too much by Germany, saying: “You look at the European Union and it’s Germany. Basically a vehicle for Germany. That’s why I thought the UK was so smart in getting out.”
He’s going to work quickly on a UK trade deal
UK and America will get a new trade deal “done quickly and done properly”, Donald Trump tells @michaelgove tonight. Boost for Theresa May.
— Christopher Hope (@christopherhope) January 15, 2017
Good news for the UK if Trump is true to his word, because he aims to push through a trade deal as quickly as possible. “I’m a big fan of the UK, we’re gonna work very hard to get it done quickly and done properly. Good for both sides,” he says.
"I'm no expert on trade negotiations," says Michael Gove before confidently predicting we'll get a good deal from Trump.
— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) January 16, 2017
Indeed he’s going to meet with PM Theresa May as soon as he enters the White House to iron out a deal. However, with so much on his agenda when he is sworn in, it will remain to be seen how quickly this will actually get done.
He’s doubtful about the future of the EU
Trump thinks that Britain left the EU because of the migrant crisis, and other countries will soon follow. “If refugees keep pouring into different parts of Europe… I think it’s gonna be very hard to keep it together because people are angry about it,” he says.Even though Trump apparently respects Angela Merkel, he says that her decision to allow unlimited numbers of refugees into Germany was “one catastrophic mistake”.
Donald Trump calls refugees "illegals" and Michael Gove doesn't challenge him on it. A refugee fleeing bombs is NOT an illegal immigrant
— Will Black (@WillBlackWriter) January 16, 2017
Trump dislikes the EU from a more personal standpoint as well. He previously gave up plans to expand one of his properties in Ireland because obtaining approvals from the EU would have apparently taken years.
He’s not the biggest fan of Nato
Trump is always quick to point out when he thinks he’s been right about something all along. He says that he was given flak for saying that Nato was obsolete, and then his critics apparently “started saying Trump is right”.
He doesn’t think that Nato is doing enough in the war on terror, and particularly criticises the organisation for allowing countries to not pay their share – which he thinks is unfair on the US.
He’s not going to play Mr Nice Guy in office
Even though Trump did express admiration for both Vladimir Putin and Merkel in the interview, he’s apparently more than ready to cut ties with both if need be. “Well, I start off trusting both – but let’s see how long that lasts. It may not last long at all,” he says.
Speaking of Putin, Trump is considering lifting Russian sanctions if he can get a good deal (although he doesn’t expand upon this subject any further). He does, however, condemn Russia’s role in Syria.
He’s just as brash as you would imagine
Gove’s descriptions of the president-elect are oddly over-the-top. He writes: “His skin glows a sodium orange, his hair is blonder than any human you will have encountered and his clothes are in primary colours so bold they make everyone else in the room seem dowdy.”
As you can imagine, Trump isn’t one to downplay his achievements. Apparently his office is littered with markers of his success: “Everything is on display in his glitzy, golden man cave.”
He’s not giving up Twitter any time soon
For many years our country has been divided, angry and untrusting. Many say it will never change, the hatred is too deep. IT WILL CHANGE!!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2017
Trump is pretty proud of his 46 million followers, so don’t expect any relief from late-night capitalised rants any time soon.Even though a lot of people weren’t entirely pleased by the interview…
If ever there was any doubt, Gove's interview with Trump proves that whatever else he is, he's not a journalist.
— Robin Lustig (@robinlustig) January 15, 2017
It’s actually kind of hard to do justice to how alarming the Gove/UK Times interview with Trump is …
— David Frum (@davidfrum) January 16, 2017
Michael Gove interviewing Donald Trump. FFS Can't help but think of #Dante The Divine Comedy, Circles of Hell.
— peter brown (@peterrichardbro) January 16, 2017
It can’t be denied that it was a big scoop from The Times.
Journos whining about Gove interviewing Trump need to get off their high horse and recognise he got about 10 red hot lines out of interview
— Mark Casci (@MarkCasci) January 15, 2017
And it provides a bit more of an insight into the man who’s about to become the leader of the free world.