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.
Subscribe to 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”.
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why are home insurance prices going up?
Today's Big Question Climate-driven weather events are raising insurers' costs
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'All too often, we get caught up in tunnel vision'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
2024: the year of legacy media failures
In the Spotlight From election criticism to continued layoffs, the media has had it rough in 2024
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published