Donald Trump has made it clear that the US and UK are gearing up for a big trade deal, and he says it’s happening fast. Speaking at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the White House, Trump assured that a trade agreement between the two nations is well on its way.
“We’re going to have a great trade agreement, one way or another,” Trump said. “We’re going to end up with a very good trade agreement for both countries, and we are working on that as we speak.”
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The president sounded confident that progress would be swift, suggesting that a deal—or at least a framework—could be agreed upon soon. “I think we’ll have something, maybe in terms of possibilities, agreed very shortly,” he added. “We’ll see if we can do something pretty quickly. But we’re going to make some great trade agreements with the UK and with the Prime Minister, and it’ll happen very quickly.”
This marks a shift from the stalled trade talks under President Joe Biden, when negotiations were largely put on hold. Now, with Trump back at the helm, both sides appear eager to get things moving again.
When asked about potential tariffs on UK imports, Trump seemed optimistic that they could be avoided altogether. “I think there’s a very good chance that in the case of these two great friendly countries, we could end up with a real trade deal where the tariffs wouldn’t be necessary,” he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Starmer emphasized that the US and UK are also looking beyond trade, focusing on innovation and emerging technologies. He highlighted artificial intelligence as a key area for collaboration.
“Instead of over-regulating these new technologies, we’re seizing the opportunities that they offer,” Starmer said. “We’ve decided today to go further to begin work on a new economic deal with advanced technology at its core.”
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He even went so far as to suggest that AI could be a game-changer on a massive scale, saying, “Artificial intelligence could cure cancer. That could be a moonshot for our age, and that’s how we’ll keep delivering for our people.”
During the press conference, Trump also had some playful words for Starmer, calling him a “tough negotiator.”
“You’re a very tough negotiator, however, I’m not sure I like that, but that’s okay,” Trump quipped, earning some laughs from the room. He went on to reaffirm the deep bond between the US and UK, saying, “The US and UK have a special relationship, very special, really, like no other passed down through the centuries, and we’re going to keep it that way.”
As a nod to that historical connection, Trump also pointed out that the bust of Winston Churchill has made its way back to the Oval Office, a symbolic gesture sure to be appreciated on both sides of the Atlantic.
