Trump describes Brexit as “great” in first UK interview

President-elect Donald Trump said the UK was “smart” for leaving the European Union, in his first British newspaper interview.

Talking to former Justice Secretary Michael Gove for the Times, Trump praised Brexit and predicted many other European countries would follow suit.

“I think Brexit is going to end up being a great thing,” Trump said.

“I’ll tell you, the fact that your pound sterling has gone down? Great. Because business is unbelievable in a lot of parts in the UK.”

“I believe others will leave,” he said. “If refugees keep pouring into different parts of Europe . . . I think it’s gonna be very hard to keep it together because people are angry about it” he added.

Trump, who will be inaugurated in five days time, told The Times that he is eager to strike up a new trade deal with the UK.

“We’re gonna work very hard to get it done quickly and done properly. Good for both sides,” Trump said. “I will be meeting with [May]. She’s requesting a meeting and we’ll have a meeting right after I get into the White House … we’re gonna get something done very quickly.”

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told reporters he was optimistic about the potential UK/US trade deal.

“I think it’s very good news that the United States of America wants to deal a good free trade deal with us and wants to do it very fast, and it’s great to hear that from President-elect Donald Trump. Clearly, it will have to be a deal that is very much in the interests of both sides, but I have no doubt that it will be.”

Trump also took the interview as an opportunity to criticise German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s immigration policy as a “catastrophic mistake”.

“I think she made one very catastrophic mistake and that was taking all of these illegals, you know taking all of the people from wherever they come from. And nobody even knows where they come from.

“People, countries, want their own identity and the UK wanted its own identity. But I do believe this: if they hadn’t been forced to take in all of the refugees, so many, with all the problems that it … entails, I think that you wouldn’t have a Brexit.”