President Trump revealed Thursday that the United States and the United Kingdom had reached a consensus on the general structure of a new trade pact — marking the first such agreement since Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs last month.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump, 78, said the UK had agreed to “open up the country” to more U.S. products, placing a strong emphasis on American agriculture, particularly beef exports.
“They’ll also be fast-tracking American goods through their customs process, so our exports go to a very, very quick form of approval, and there won’t be any red tape,” he added.
While the exact terms of the trade arrangement are still being finalized, Trump noted that the accord represents a significant step in bringing the UK into what he called an “economic security alignment with the United States.”
The announcement comes amid a warm rapport between Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who previously visited the White House on February 27 for discussions with the president.
During Trump’s remarks, Starmer joined the meeting by speakerphone and confirmed that the deal had taken shape over several weeks of negotiation.
The prime minister gave special mention to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, acknowledging their pivotal contributions to the progress of the talks.
Interestingly, just two days prior, Trump had appeared uninformed when questioned by The Post about the reported trade deal with the UK. “Who? What? … What about the United Kingdom? … They’re offering us concessions? I hope so,” he responded at the time in the Oval Office.
Despite the announcement, not everyone close to Trump was convinced the deal was cause for celebration.
“While it may be a good first step, ‘frameworks’ aren’t enough,” one source close to the administration said. “There needs to be tangibles, specifics, and serious enforcement mechanisms. Let’s not overpromise and underdeliver.”
{Matzav.com}