Donald Trump’s fascination with the UK is a real helping hand for Theresa May’s trade ambitions
THE world may be worried about Donald Trump’s shock-jock presidential style but we in Britain can only bask in our unexpected good fortune.
Last June we apparently faced economic meltdown and isolation after voting for Brexit against stern advice from just about everyone — including the then President of the United States of America.
Today, a new American President is taking our Prime Minister by the hand, declaring his love for all things British and almost pleading with us to sign an historic deal on trade and jobs.
Yet as we digest the implications of this stupendous stroke of luck, ranting feminists, lefties and showbiz luvvies are queueing up to look a fabled gift horse in the mouth.
Even Prince Charles seems ready to charge into battle on his climate change hobby horse.
Mr Trump has cheerfully brought much of this outrage upon his own head.
Nobody can be sure what he will do next or how he will do it. The world is on tenterhooks over his machine-gun policy initiatives — such as extreme vetting for “terrorist nation” migrants.
But here in Britain we should understand how blessed we are.
We should be slack-jawed with amazement at the way the dice have rolled in our favour against all predicted odds.
Just as post-Brexit Britain was likely to be cast adrift in a boat deliberately holed below the waterline by vengeful Brussels, we are being thrown a lifeline by the most powerful nation on earth.
What is more, we are welcomed aboard by a man who believes “a free and independent Britain is a blessing to the world”.
Britain’s vote to leave what he calls the “EU consortium” was a “tremendous asset, not a liability”.
He singled out our Prime Minister as the first world leader to visit him at the White House — a huge tribute to the UK and a stinging snub to Germany, France and the rest of the EU.
Donald Trump has his faults — plenty of them. And there are no shortage of people stampeding over one another to point them out. They seem to be in denial over his election as President, fair and square under the American constitution, just as they are over the clear majority vote for Brexit on June 23.
But they can’t turn back the clocks. Trump is delivering the policies that won him the Oval Office.
He has abandoned trans-Pacific trade talks with the bickering EU and ripped up America’s commitment on global warming.
The trade deal was already doomed and there are genuine questions about the vast sums of money required to fight climate change.
As for “extreme vetting”, EU leaders have no right to complain after leaving the door wide open to returning jihadis and terrorists posing as refugees.
Post-Brexit Britain was doing pretty well before Mrs May’s visit to the US. We are Europe’s strongest economy for the second year running, a jobs magnet and a haven for foreign investment.
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Of course, we must be wary about hard-nosed negotiations with a partner whose first priority is the national interest, not an act of kindness.
But America is a giant market for the UK, with trade already worth more than £150billion to both countries and a massive £800billion invested in each other’s economies.
What’s more, a trade deal with the States is like catnip to other nations wanting to buy and sell in Britain.
Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India are ready for talks and yesterday we heard Brazil and South Korea are keen to join in.
Now President Trump, a fan of the UK whose mother hailed from Scotland, wants to take things further, with a state visit to Britain in the autumn.
No other country in the world seems to hold the same fascination for the world’s most powerful man.
Certainly not Germany or France — or China.
All this is quite extraordinary for a nation which was treated with near-contempt by President Trump’s White House predecessor.
The honeymoon might be brief, although there is no reason why it should be.
But in any event, we should be grateful while it lasts.
Cam's Alzheimer's role could make a real difference
DAVID CAMERON did much as PM to raise awareness of dementia and deserves enormous credit now for taking on the campaigning role as president of Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Alzheimer’s is the poor relation of health charities, way behind cancer and strokes in funding and research.
“Cancer research and stroke research deserve all their funding – but dementia shouldn’t be so far behind,” says Mr Cameron.
Everyone aged over 50 fears they will be among the one in nine who die from dementia, now the biggest killer. Its victims disappear into a fog of confusion, a physical husk of their former selves.
Mr Cameron is exactly the man they need to help find a cure – or at least some hope – for others.