Has the "Special Relationship" Between the U.S. and the UK Changed?
President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Theresa May made a big show of displaying a strong relationship at the World Economic Forum in Davos. And one reporter says maintaining the countries’ “special relationship” benefits both.
“From the UK’s perspective the big sort of prize and the big sort of goal, in policy terms, is trying to strike a trade deal with the U.S.,” the Wall Street Journal’s Jason Douglas told Cheddar. “The UK is still the leader of the European Union.”
And for the U.S., a solid rapport would show that Trump has allies around the world, Douglas noted. Still, he said, the commander-in-chief would have to work harder with other European nations.
“A couple … in particularly Emmanuel Macron of France, have spent this conference in Davos really trying to stake out some of the ground that they think the U.S. has vacated under President Trump,” Douglas said. That includes its global leadership role and its championing of free trade.
May criticized Trump last year for retweeting anti-Muslim extremists, and his state visit has been rescheduled several times. More than 1.7 million UK citizens signed a petition to ban Trump from state visits, but the government dismissed it last year, noting the importance of the countries’ accord.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/breaking-down-trump-and-mays-davos-press-conference).
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