Davos 2018: May and Trump repair ‘special relationship’
Two leaders focus on economic development, trade and military issues during meeting

Theresa May and Donald Trump held talks at the World Economic Forum today, offering the Prime Minister a chance to rekindle the strained “special relationship” following the cancellation of a visit by Trump to London.
Trump went to great lengths to dispel rumours of a rift between the UK and US, saying he and May have a mutual feeling of “liking each other a lot”.
“We have great respect for everything you’re doing, and we love your country. We think it’s truly good,” Trump told the Prime Minister, according to The Guardian.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The UK and the UK are working on economic development, trade and military issues, Trump added.
Some commentators feared that May would struggle to be heard by the US president at all during their meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
“During formal phone calls between the two leaders, May finds it almost impossible to make headway and get her points across,” Bloomberg says. ”Trump totally dominates the discussion, leaving the Prime Minister with five or ten seconds to speak before he interrupts and launches into another monologue.”
White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster said yesterday that Trump was prioritising his hastily arranged meeting with the British leader, “because we do have a special relationship”.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Trump’s two-day Swiss blitz is an opportunity for him to promote his America First agenda to Davos’ globalists, Reuters says. But his mind may be elsewhere, following the revelation that the US president is to testify under oath about claims of Russian meddling in the US election.
Meanwhile, May will be pitching her post-Brexit strategy to billionaires such as Bill Gates, world leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and chief executives from banks and private equity firms such as Blackstone who are considering relocating to Dublin, Frankfurt or the US.
The PM’s speech this afternoon focused on social media giants. She urged investors to pressure tech giants to respond more quickly to extremist content on social networks, the BBC reports.
“Investors can make a big difference here by ensuring trust and safety issues are being properly considered - and I urge them to do so,” May said.
-
How clean-air efforts may have exacerbated global warming
Under the Radar Air pollution artificially cooled the Earth, ‘masking’ extent of temperature increase
-
September 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government building
Speed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to US
Speed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
-
What is Tony Blair's plan for Gaza?
Today's Big Question Former PM has reportedly been putting together a post-war strategy 'for the past several months'
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
What will security guarantees for Ukraine look like?
Today's Big Question From boots on the ground to economic sanctions, here are the measures that might stop Russia taking another bite out of Ukraine
-
Will Ukraine trade territory for peace?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Kyiv’s defences are wearing thin but a land swap is constitutionally impossible and crosses Zelenskyy's red lines
-
Russia tries Ukraine land grab before Trump summit
Speed Read The incursion may be part of Putin's efforts to boost his bargaining position
-
Europe counters Putin ahead of Trump summit
Speed Read President Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week for Ukraine peace talks