Donald Trump says he ‘loves’ the UK and reveals he wants a bumper transatlantic trade deal to help make Brexit ‘a great thing’

DONALD Trump last night declared he wants to help make Brexit a “great thing” with a bumper transatlantic trade deal.

The President-elect said he “loves” the UK and will offer a quick and fair trade agreement with the US within weeks of taking office.

In an interview with Michael Gove for — he revealed he was inviting Theresa May to visit him “right after” he gets into the White House.

In an interview, the President-elect said: “I love the UK.

“We’re gonna work very hard to get it (a trade deal) done quickly and done properly – good for both sides.”

Mr Trump added: “I will be meeting [Mrs May]. She’s requesting a meeting and we’ll have a meeting right after I get into the White House and it’ll be, I think we’re gonna get something done very quickly.”

He also predicted more countries will follow Britain by leaving the European Union – because of the migration crisis and Angela Merkel’s “catastrophic” decision to open Germany’s borders.

He said: “People, countries want their own identity. I believe others will leave.”

Mr Trump said he thought that “Brexit is going to end up being a great thing”.
The Pound sank last night on fears Mrs May will commit to leaving the single market and the customs union.

It collapsed to a three-month low early today as trading opened in Australia and New Zealand, falling below $1.20 for the first time since October’s Tory conference.
But Mr Trump welcomed the fall in the value of the Pound for having helped to boost the attractiveness of British products abroad.

The revelation will be a huge boost to Theresa May ahead of her crunch Brexit speech on Tuesday.

The prospect of such a close relationship between the US and the UK will pile pressure on the EU ahead of the Brexit negotiations.

Chancellor Philip Hammond threatened Brussels with an all-out tax war if the EU decides to “wound” Britain in the talks.

During an hour long interview in Trump Tower, the President Elect revealed Theresa May had written to him just after Christmas.

She sent a gift of a copy of Winston Churchill’s address to the American people shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.

In the letter the PM told Mr Trump that she hoped the sentiment of “unity and fraternal association” between the two countries was “just as true today as it has ever been”.

Britain kept up the charm offensive by breaking ranks with the international community over calls for a two-state solution to the Middle East crisis — in a notably pro-Israeli shift.

President Trump will be inaugurated on Friday — taking over the most powerful position in the world.

In his interview he revealed he wants to strike a nuclear reduction deal with President Putin in return for the lifting of US sanctions.

He separately unveiled plans to slap restrictions on Europeans travelling to the US as well as “extreme vetting” for those entering America from other parts of the world known for Islamist terrorism.

And he slammed America’s foreign policy over the past 15 years — describing the decision to invade Iraq as “possibly the worst decision ever made in the history of our country”.

The President-Elect also said he was looking forward to visiting Britain, saying his Scottish mother was “so proud of the Queen”.

“Any time the Queen was on television, an event, my mother would be watching,” he said.

The billionaire also joked that his Scottish ancestry meant he liked to “watch my pennies”.

“I mean I deal in big pennies, that’s the problem.”

Trump also made an astonishing attack on Angela Merkel saying the European Union is a “vehicle for Germany”.

He ranked the German Chancellor alongside Vladimir Putin as a potentially problematic ally.

And he said while he had great respect for Ms Merkel, his trust for her “may not last long at all”.

He said Germany’s dominance of the EU showed why the UK was “so smart” to get out.

The incredible remarks will send shockwaves throughout the EU.

Just last week Barack Obama’s Brussels envoy Anthony Gardner warned the Trump administration was Eurosceptic.

On a farewell tour of Europe last November, President Obama said he could not have asked for a “more reliable partner” than Ms Merkel.

But Mr Trump said Germany’s decision to throw open its borders was “catastrophic” and could lead to the break-up of the EU.

“I think she made one very catastrophic mistake and that was taking all of these illegals, you know all the people from wherever they come from,” he said.

“And nobody even knows where they come from. So I think she made a catastrophic mistake, very bad mistake.”

And he told Mr Gove: “You look at the European Union and its Germany.

“Basically a vehicle for Germany. That’s why I thought the UK was so smart in getting out.”

Mr Trump also stoked fresh fears for the future of NATO, by saying that while it was “very important to me” the alliance was “obsolete”.

He said: “Only five countries... are paying what they’re supposed to.”