Trump denounces UK Chagos Islands deal as ‘terrible’ and ‘ridiculous’
Trump praised Burnham as a “natural businessman” at the joint press conference, telling reporters that the British prime minister had “a lot of assets on his side” and would be a “great prime minister.” The Guardian reported that UK officials had been somewhat nervous about the meeting because Trump had previously described Burnham as “extremely liberal” and called the former mayor of Greater Manchester “the mayor of a town.” But the meeting appeared to have gone to plan for both sides, with Trump praising the UK.
Trump said the pair had covered a broad agenda in their talks. “We talked about everything from Rolls-Royce to energy to immigration — we covered a lot,” he said. Burnham, for his part, said he and Trump had “established a good connection in our early discussions and we’ve taken that further today.”
Asked about the state of US-UK relations, Trump offered a warm public assessment. “I think you’re up. Well, they’re more now than they were with your last prime minister, let me put it that way,” he said. He added: “I think right now, based on my relationship with your prime minister, Andy, I think we’re doing very well.”
At the same press conference, Trump was scathing about the UK’s deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while paying for a lease of the Diego Garcia military base. “I don’t support it. I think it’s terrible. It was a terrible deal. They [Mauritius] all of a sudden say they have ownership. Somebody has ownership that never showed up before after decades and centuries. I think it’s ridiculous,” he said.
Trump framed the islands as strategically critical, telling reporters: “we had to send our B-2 bombers … back home to Missouri, as opposed to flying for a short period of time.” He added: “It’s amazing how strategic it is, and I think the prime minister is going to be looking at it,” a remark suggesting he expected the prime minister to revisit the arrangement.
Asked about the war with Iran and its impact on US cost of living, Trump claimed that “as soon as the war is over the prices are going to come way down.” The Guardian did not include any timeline Trump offered for when the war might end.
According to The Guardian, Trump has banned some journalists from the White House, an action that has prompted a wider boycott by media organisations. At the press conference, Trump later hit back at reporters questioning the ban, claiming he had a “right to clean out fake news.”