Trump May News Conference BBC News Special

I am honoured to have Prime Minister Theresa May here for our first

official visit from a foreign leader. This is our first visit. So,

a great honour. The special relationship

between our two countries has been one of the great forces in history,

for justice and for peace. And by the way, my mother

was born in Scotland, Stornoway, which is

serious Scotland. Today, the United States

renews our deep bond with Britain, military, financial,

cultural and political. We pledge our lasting support

to this most special relationship. Together, America and

the United Kingdom are a beacon That is why the United States

respects the sovereignty of the British people

and their right of A free and independent Britain

is a blessing to the world and our relationship has

never been stronger. Both America and Britain understand

that governments must be responsive to everyday working people,

that governments must Madam Prime Minister,

we look forward to working closely with you as we strengthen our mutual

ties and commerce, business Great days lie ahead for our two

peoples and our two countries. On behalf of our nation, I thank

you for joining us here today. Can I start by saying that I am

so pleased that I have been able to be here today and thank

you for inviting me so soon I'm delighted to be able

to congratulate you on what was As you say, the invitation

is an indication of the strength and importance of the special

relationship that exists between our two countries,

a relationship based on the bonds of history, family, kinship

and common interests. In a further sign of the importance

of that relationship, I have today been able

to convey Her Majesty the Queen's hope that President Trump

and the First Lady would pay a state visit to the United Kingdom

later this year, and I'm delighted that the president has

accepted that invitation. Today, we are discussing

a number of topics, The president has

mentioned foreign policy. We are discussing how we can work

closely together to take on and defeat Daesh and the ideology

of Islamist extremism Our two nations are already

leading efforts to face up to this challenge,

and we are making progress with Daesh losing territory

and fighters, but we need Today we are discussing how we can

do this by deepening intelligent Today we are discussing how we can

do this by deepening intelligence and security cooperation

and by stepping up our efforts We know we will not eradicate this

threat until we defeat the ideology I am sure we will discuss other

topics, Syria and Russia. On defence and security cooperation,

we are united in our recognition of Nato as the bulwark

of our collective defence. Today, we have reaffirmed our

unshakeable commitment Mr President, you confirmed that

you are 100% behind Nato. But we are also discussing

the importance of Nato continuing to ensure it is as equipped to fight

terrorism and cyber warfare as it is to fight more

conventional forms of war. I have agreed to continue my efforts

to encourage my fellow European leaders to deliver

on their commitments to spend 2% of their GDP

on defence so that the burden It is only by investing properly

in our defence that we can ensure we are properly equipped

to face our shared Finally, the President and I have

mentioned future economic Trade between our countries is

already worth ?150 billion a year. The US is the single biggest source

of inward investment to the UK and, together,

we have around $1 trillion invested The UK-US defence relationship

is the broadest, deepest and most advanced of any two countries

sharing military The President and I are ambitious

to build on this relationship in order to grow our respective

economies, provide the high skilled, high-paid jobs of the future

for working people across America So we are discussing how

we can establish trade negotiation agreements,

take forward immediate high-level talks, lay the groundwork

for a UK-US trade agreement and identify the steps we can take

now to enable companies in both countries to do business with one

another more easily. I am convinced that a trade deal

between the US and the UK is in the national interest of both

countries and will cement the crucial relationship

that exists between us, particularly as the UK

leaves the European Union Today's talks are a significant

moment for President Trump and I to build our relationship

and I look forward to continuing to work with you as we deliver

on the promises of freedom and prosperity for all the people

of our respective countries. You will be speaking tomorrow

with the Russian president. What message would you

like to convey to him? How close are you to lifting some

of the sanctions imposed on Russia over its Ukraine incursion,

what would you expect in return and Prime Minister May,

do you foresee any changes in British attitudes

towards sanctions on Russia? Well, I hear a call

was set up and we will see We look to have a great

relationship with all countries, ideally, but that

will not necessarily happen. Unfortunately, it probably will not

happen with many countries, but if we can have, as we do

with Prime Minister May and the relationship

we have developed and even that we have just developed

by being with each other, having lunch, we have had some

interesting talks and very But if we can have a great

relationship with Russia and with China and with all

countries, I am all for that. No guarantees, but if we can,

that would be a positive. As far as the UK is concerned

on sanctions for Russia in relation to their activities in Ukraine,

we have been clear that we want to see the Minsk Agreement

fully incremented. We believe the sanctions should

continue until we see that agreement fully implemented and we have been

continuing to argue that Prime Minister, you have talked

about where you agree, but you have also said you would be

frank where you disagree Can you tell us where in our talks

you did disagree, and do you think the President listened

to what you have to say? You have said before

that torture works. You have said you want to ban some

Muslims from coming to America. You have suggested there should be

punishment for abortion. For many people in Britain,

those sound like alarming beliefs. What do you say to our viewers

at home who are worried about some of your views and worried

about you becoming the leader On the issue you raised with me,

Laura, can I confirm that I have been listening to the President

and the President has been listening to me, that is the point

of having a conversation. We have been discussing

a number of topics. We will carry on meeting

after this press conference There will be issues

on which we disagree. The point of the special

relationship is that we are able to have that open and frank

discussion so that we can make that But I am clear also

that there are many issues on which the United Kingdom

and the United States stand alongside one another,

many issues on which we agree. As I said in my speech,

I think we are at a moment when we can build an even stronger

special relationship which will be in the interests not just of the UK

and the United States, but in the interests

of the wider world as well. We have a great general who has just

been appointed secretary of defence, He has stated publicly that he does

not necessarily believe in torture, or waterboarding or however

you want to define it, enhanced interrogation, I guess,

would be the words a lot of people I don't necessarily agree,

but I would tell you that he will override because I am

giving him that power. He is the generals' general,

got through the Senate very quickly, which in this country is not easy,

I will tell you. I have been open about that

for a long period of time, but I am going with our leaders

and we are going to As far as Putin and Russia, I don't

say good, bad or indifferent. I hope we have a fantastic

relationship. That is possible, and it is also

possible that we won't. I will be representing

the American people very And if we have a great relationship

with Russia and other countries and if we go after Isis together,

which has to be stopped, that is an evil that has to be

stopped, I will consider that a good How the relationship works out,

I won't be able to tell until later. I have had many times

where I thought I would get along with people and I don't

like them at all. And I have had some where I didn't

think I was going to have much of a relationship,

and it turned out to be So, Theresa, we never know

about those things, do we? But I will be representing

the American people very strongly. Mr President, thank

you and Madam Prime Minister. It is my understanding that you had

an hour-long phone call this morning with president

Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico. Could we get an update

on where the relationship is? Further to that, what do you say

to critics who claim you have already soured a relationship

with a very important US ally? And Madam Prime Minister,

are you concerned about the state of relations between

the United States and Mexico? I think the Prime Minister has other

things she is much more worried about than Mexico

and the United States' relationship. But I will say that we

had a very good call. But as you know, Mexico,

with the United States, has out-negotiated us and beat us

to a pulp through our past leaders. We have a trade deficit

of $60 billion with Mexico. On top of that, the border

is soft and weak. Drugs are pouring in, and I am not

going to let that happen. General Kelly is going

to do a fantastic job We have a very good relationship,

the President and I. We had a talk that lasted

for about an hour this morning, and we are going to be working

on a fair and new relationship. But the United States cannot

continue to lose vast amounts of business,

vast amounts of companies and millions of people

losing their jobs. We are no longer going to be

the country that doesn't So we are going to renegotiate our

trade deals and we are going to renegotiate other aspects

of our relationship with Mexico. In the end, I think it will be

good for both countries. I think you will hear that

from the President and I think you will hear that from the people

of Mexico that represent him. I look forward to, over the coming

months, we will be negotiating But I am representing the people

of the United States and I am going to represent them as somebody

should represent them, not how they have been represented

in the past where we lose As the President has

said, the relationship with the United States and Mexico

is a matter for the Mr President, you said you would

help us with a Brexit trade deal. You said you would stand by us

with Nato, but how can the British You have been known in the past

to change your position on things. May I ask this question

to both of you, people are fascinated to know how

you will get on with each other. You are so different,

the hard-working vicar's daughter, Have you found anything

in common personally yet? I am actually not as brash

as you might think. And I can tell you that I think

we are going to get along well. It is interesting,

because I am a people person. I can often tell how I will get

along with somebody very early, and I believe we are going

to have a fantastic relationship. And I don't change my

position very much. If you go back and look,

my position on trade has been solid for many years since I was a young

person, talking about how we were getting ripped off

by the rest of the world. I never knew I would be in this

position where we can But we will be talking

to your folks about Brexit. Brexit was an example

of what was to come, and I happened to be in Scotland,

at Turnberry, cutting a ribbon And we had a vast

amount of press there. And I was scorned in the press

for making that prediction. I said, I believe it is going

to happen because people want to know who is coming

into their country and they want to control their own trade

and various other things. And lo and behold,

the following day, it happened. And the odds were not looking good

for me when I made that statement because, as you know,

everybody thought it I think Brexit is going to be

a wonderful thing for your country. When it's ironed out,

you will have your own identity and you will have the people

you want in your country and you will be able to have free

trade deals without somebody I had something in another country,

and getting the approvals Getting the approvals

from the country was fast, Getting the approvals

from the group, I call them the consortium,

was very tough. But I think Brexit will end up

being a fantastic thing It will be a tremendous asset,

not a tremendous liability. On the question you asked me, Tom,

as the President himself has said, we have already struck up

a good relationship. I think if you look at the approach

we are both taking, one of the things we have in common

is that we want to put the interests of ordinary working people

rightat the centre stage. Those people who are working

all the hours, doing their best for their families and sometimes

feel the odds are stacked against them, it is that interest

in ensuring that what we do, our economies and governments

actually work for ordinary working people, work for everyone

in our countries. That was the press conference in its

entirety. Chris Mason is here. We have a lot of the usual phrases,

great days lie ahead for our two people, a deep bond, we were

expecting that. Theresa May said, of America, that they are 100% behind

Nato, and we were not expecting that? That really left out from what

we heard from the Prime Minister. She didn't have to say that. It is

clear she was very clear to ram home publicly that one of their

conversations in private was a commitment to Nato. President Trump

said repeatedly on the campaign trail that he said that the north

Atlantic alliance is obsolete, a word he has used, and in particular

he is very concerned about the funding formula. He thinks America

has to bail out other countries that don't pay enough into the pot. The

UK has long maintained that it meets the Nato spending commitment on

defence, as does the United States, but a good number of other members

don't. The Prime Minister has acknowledged it is understandable,

on that basis, that there might be a difference. There was clearly

concerned from her and from loads of British politicians that if America

were to go soft on the idea of Nato, the very existence of the Alliance

would be called into question. At a time when President Putin had been

flexing his muscles with the eyes Asian of Crimea and the fear from

some of the -- with the annexation of Crimea, and the fear from the

Baltic states, it was interesting that the Prime Minister wanted to

publicly pen his colours to the mast. We did know if that was a

surprise, or if it was something they had agreed that she should say.

I am actually very confident that President Trump and the

administration, they are strongly committed to the transatlantic bond.

They see a strong Nato is not only good for Europe, but good for the

United States. Two world wars and a Cold War have taught us that

stability in Europe is important for the United States. They know the

only time that Nato has invoked, Article five, the defence clause,

was after an attack on the United States, and hundreds of thousands of

soldiers, including money from United Kingdom, have been fighting

in Afghanistan in an operation that was a direct response to an attack

on the United States. In the United States, they know that Nato is

important. Making it really quite clear, his opinion. Moving into

other aspects of the press conference, one thing that came out

was that there is to be a state visit, that the Queen has invited

Donald Trump. We know he is an Anglophile and a supporter of the

Royal family. It would be a big deal to him? A huge amount, there has

been a sense in Whitehall, the Foreign Office and amongst

diplomats, as soon as they knew it would be Donald Trump as President,

a terrific card Britain could play was to tap into his Anglophile

history, the fact his mother was born on the Isle of Lewis, he was in

Scotland the day before the referendum, and his mum was a real

royalist. He has talked in the past about how she would regularly

reflect on her love for the Queen, even though she spent a good number

of decades of her life living in the United States. To give him the

chance to meet the Queen, be looked after and hosted by the Queen, stay

in Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle, it is a tremendous thing for

the UK to be able to offer the President. We expect that was going

to come, but we got confirmation that the invitation has been sent,

Theresa May carried it over the Atlantic, the President has

accepted. That is going to happen later this year. It would be an

extraordinarily colourful moment. I guess it is one with controversy as

well. Those that think that President Trump is great will point

to loads in this news conference which they think proves that, in

terms of the strengthening UK- US relationship. Those that do not like

him will no doubt have plenty of opportunity, during the state visit,

to make their views very well-known. That will be quite a spectacle, when

it happens. A lot of journalists are posting about what their opinion

this press release. From the Guardian, saying perhaps Donald

Trump was acting, and his tone was quite restrained, he perhaps was not

as gung ho, clock sure as he normally is? Yes, he was pretty

calmly spoken. We are so used to shots of him on the campaign trail.

He is almost shaking the lectern, shouting, it is a very particular

style of tub thumping rhetoric. It was quietly spoken. He was

attempting to be that bit more reflective. He took a question where

it was suggested he was quite bombastic, he said he was not.

Occasionally he would get flashes of the campaign Trump. He had a bit of

a pop, half joke, half not joke, Laura Kuenssberg, when she asked

pointed questions about his views on torture. Why publicly said to

Theresa May, you asked for her to ask the question, you answer it!

It is an insight into how he has a frosty relationship with the media

and is open to saying it publicly. He made a virtue of it on the

campaign trail. What about the body language? I know neither of us are

experts, but you can't help not look at it. Here is a sequence when they

were walking to the White House. He grabs her hand. Who removes whose

hand? Those pillars have a lot to answer for. We don't know if it was

a proactive Theresa May or Donald Trump, I guess he was trying to be

courteous as she made her way along the rather posh gangway. It is

inevitable that we focus on the human relationship in the first

meetings. It is difficult. Think of it from their perspective, they are

both new in office. This is the first time President Trump has had a

foreign leader visiting. He has only been there a matter of days and it

is the first time the Prime Minister has been to Washington since she

took on the job. You are bound to be nervous and probably wouldn't. I

thought what was quite interesting was when they were specifically

asked about their similarities, Theresa May went for a political

similarity, as she saw it bold of them to campaigning to s. R d P. ' )

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