INTERVIEW – James Carafano – vice president of foreign and defense policy studies, The Heritage Foundation
- Protests expected as Trump meets with May during second day in Britain. President Trump meets with outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May Tuesday as the two talk with corporate executives from the United States and United Kingdom, before an afternoon news conference on the second day of Trump’s state visit. The leaders’ top priority is a possible bilateral trade deal to take effect once the U.K. leaves the European Union. “Big Trade Deal is possible once U.K. gets rid of the shackles. Already starting to talk,” Trump tweeted Monday. Still, after Monday’s day of pageantry and a war of words with London’s mayor, Trump could be greeted by tens of thousands of protesters as part of a “Carnival of Resistance.”
- James Carafano: Believe it or not, THIS will be Trump’s number one job when he goes to London. (Fox News) — This trip is not for the pomp and circumstance. There are substantive items on the president’s agenda — items that could significantly affect the future of the transatlantic community. Topping the list is, of course, is Brexit. Trump is famously pro-Brexit, and by the time Trump lands in London, the Conservative party will be well on its way to picking a new leader — one who will be committed to leading the U.K. out of the European Union. Right now, the deadline for Brexit is October. Expect the new leader to commit to that. Don’t be surprised if, in the end, the government rejects the EU’s last-offered conditions for leaving and opts for the so-called “hard Brexit” — i.e., just up and leaves. Trump’s No. 1 job is to deliver the message, “Don’t worry. Be happy.” Britain will thrive after Brexit, and post-Brexit Britain’s “special relationship” with the U.S. will be as special as ever. To assure the Brits that this will be the case, Trump should reaffirm his unshakable commitment to speedily conclude a U.S.-U.K. free trade agreement as soon as Britain is free of the EU while signaling to Congress his desire to pass enabling legislation as quickly as possible. Job No. 2 should be to start revitalizing what has made the U.S.-U.K. relationship so special: our joint commitment to transatlantic security that spanned two world wars, a Cold War, and lots of messy stuff in between and after. Trump and the new conservative leadership in London will need to work as a team. The NATO summit coming up in London at the end of the year will mark the alliance’s 70th anniversary. The U.S. and Britain must work in tandem, pressing others in the alliance to better prepare for future challenges and sustain the momentum for NATO enlargement.
