Trump to put full energy behind US-UK trade deal, says ambassador
Mr Trump will visit the UK next week for four days, finishing up in Scotland where he is expected to hit the golf course.
Last updated 7th Jul 2018
America's ambassador in London has said President Donald Trump will put his "full energy" behind a US-UK trade deal.
Mr Trump will visit the UK on a four-day trip next week, where he will meet Theresa May at her country residence Chequers and the Queen at Windsor Castle before heading to Scotland, where he is expected to hit the golf course.
Ambassador Woody Johnson said Mr Trump was simply trying to get as much impact as possible from his 24 hours in England on what he described as a "very important" visit which the president would use to strengthen the trans-Atlantic special relationship.
Speaking to the Daily Express, Mr Johnson said "zero tariffs" would be the starting point for discussions on a cross-Atlantic trade deal post Brexit.
He told the paper: "I think it would be bold and why not start off with that premise.
"The President will put his full energy behind a quick deal.
"The sky's the limit. As an independent nation you will be agile, nimble, attract capital. You've got so much capability here. It will be nice to see you go at full tilt."
Briefing reporters on a conference call from the US Embassy in London, Mr Johnson denied that Mr Trump was avoiding London, where the biggest protests against the presidential visit are expected to take place, pointing out that he was using the ambassador's residence in Regent's Park as his base for the visit, staying overnight there on Thursday.
He declined to confirm whether Mr Trump would play golf in Scotland - where he owns two courses - stressing that the weekend would be dominated by preparations for his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday.
The UK was an "indispensable" ally to the US and the special relationship was "as strong now as it's ever been", he said.
The black-tie dinner being held for Mr Trump at Blenheim Palace on the first night of his visit was "very symbolic".
The Oxfordshire country house was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, who was "passionate" about the bond between the US and UK and coined the phrase “special relationship", he said.
Mr Johnson said: "The president knows how important the special relationship is first hand and that is why the bust of Churchill is actually in the Oval Office as we speak. It's not an accident.
"He knows that he has an opportunity to make this special relationship even stronger.
"The UK is very preoccupied right now with Brexit, there's a lot of debate about the pros and cons. But as Americans, we always look at where the opportunities are.
"Britain has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change direction and I am very confident, whichever way this goes, that Britain will make a success of Brexit and whatever else it does in the future."