- US President Donald Trump has stated that the UK should not pay the $49 billion EU divorce bill
- They should, he says, leave the EU without a deal
- This comes ahead of Trump’s scheduled state visit to the UK
There has been a lot of back and forth in the process of negotiating and exit from the European Union by the UK. Between the resignations, negotiations, and rejections in parliament, however, one thing was almost unanimously agreed on by both sides of the British political system which was that the UK could not leave the EU without a proper deal as it could spell disaster.
Even though this narrative is agreed on by a majority of the British political system, one person has spoken out in favor of a no-deal Brexit is President Donald Trump. According to a June 3, 2019 report, Trump has stated that a no-deal Brexit is a better option than paying the almost $50 billion divorce bill to the EU.
Trump in the UK
These comments come ahead of Trump’s state visit to Britain which begins this week and was stated during a recent interview. Trump stated that Britain should refuse to pay the $49 billion divorce bill and should instead, simply walk away without a deal if the EU does not give the UK the terms of removal that they desire.
“If they don’t get what they want, I would walk away… If you don’t get the deal you want if you don’t get a fair deal, then you walk away,” he said.
Trump even weighed in on the change of leadership that is due to take place in the UK by stating that Boris Johnson, who is currently facing legal trouble, would be an excellent replacement for Theresa May. May, however, has already agreed that the British government will pay the agreed fee, though Trump obviously disagrees.
It is not entirely surprising that Trump approves of Boris Johnson as a future prime minister as Johnson has stated that the UK should leave the EU by October 31 whether or not it has a deal, though most of the parliament is scrambling to put together one before that deadline.
Trump’s visit to the UK has seen much controversy even before it begins with there being planned protest ahead of his visit and rumors of several high-profile members of the British political system refusing to meet with him. From all indications, the UK will be going ahead with its plans for an exit from the EU.
The next events on the British political agenda besides Trump’s controversial visit is the choosing of a successor of which several possible candidates have emerged.
