How Will Trump’s Presidency Impact the “Special Relationship?”

Donald Trump’s election to US president has triggered a mixed response from the United Kingdom, which is wondering how Washington’s new administration will impact their Special Relationship.

Along the campaign trail, Trump openly called for the UK to leave the European Union (EU), arguing that it would be “treated fantastically” after the so-called Brexit. Brits voted to exit the EU on June 23, a decision that triggered widespread panic in the global financial markets.

“I’ve dealt with the European Union and it’s very bureaucratic. Personally, in terms of Britain, I would say: what do you need it for?” Trump said. “You have to make your own deal. “Britain’s been a great ally. They’ve been such a great ally they’ve gone into things they shouldn’t have gone into, for example going into Iraq. With me, they’ll always be treated fantastically.”

The President-elect’s approach contrasted sharply with his soon-to-be predecessor Barack Obama, who warned of grave consequences for the British economy as a result of Brexit. Obama wasn’t alone – economists, heads of state and even supranational institutions all warned of a major backlash should Brexit materialize.

According to various reports, senior figures in the UK government had been rooting for Hillary Clinton in the US presidential race on hopes that the Democratic nominee would usher in a “new era” for the Special Relationship between the two countries. Government officials were less keen on Trump, who has openly expressed interest in working with Russia. Trump’s “America first” platform also implied a growing tide of isolationism for the world’s largest economy.[1]

British foreign secretary Boris Johnson, who served as both the voice and the hair behind Brexit, says UK-US relations will become “spectacular” under President Trump.

“We need to snap out of the general doom and gloom about the result of the election,” Johnson said.[2]

Mr. Johnson was the first overseas politician called by Vice President Mike Pence, who spoke of “huge opportunities” for future US-UK relations.

One of Trump’s biggest campaign promises was to re-negotiate free trade deals, including the one the United States currently has with the EU. The President-elect has also vowed to be a tough negotiator.

“No longer will we enter into these massive transactions with many countries that are thousands of pages long and which no one from our country even reads or understands,” Trump said. “Using the greatest business people of the world, I’m going to turn our bad trade agreements into great trade agreements.”[3]

There’s one thing uniting the Special Relationship: both the United States and United Kingdom have undergone major paradigm shifts. The election of Donald Trump and Britain’s vote to leave the EU are decisions that will play out for many years.

[1] Steven Swinford (November 9, 2016). “What will the Special Relationship look like with President Trump?” The Telegraph.

[2] Stephen Hawkes and Harry Cole (November 12, 2016). “Spectacul-HAIR Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says Britain’s ‘special relationship’ with the USA will become ‘spectacular’ under President Trump.” The Sun.

[3] Steven Swinford (November 9, 2016). “What will the Special Relationship look like with President Trump?” The Telegraph.

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