Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May at a NATO summit meeting in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017 (Dan Kitwood/Getty)
On Monday, Donald Trump undermined UK Prime Minister Theresa May over her Brexit withdrawal deal with the European Union, saying that the arrangement would not permit UK-US trade negotiations.
Why did Trump call for a full British detachment from Europe? I explain to BBC Radio London and talkRADIO about the negotiating strategy of the Trump Administration for a “blank slate” — stripping away existing UK-EU regulations in areas such as health, safety, financial services, and the National Health Service — in any discussions with London.
Beyond Trump’s head smoke, there is a bit of fire from his advisors.
In line with hardcore Brexit-ers, those advisors want the UK to turn its back on the EU, reject any agreement on May’s lines and effectively go for a No Deal.