An Audience With The Donald

Donald Trump last week granted an exclusive audience to Michael Gove of The Times, and Kai Diekmann of the German newspaper Bild. The transcript gives an intriguing insight into the mind of the 45th president of the US. This is an edited extract.

Mr President-elect, your grandfather is from Germany, your mother is from Scotland. How will you manage relations with our countries?

Well, it’s similar. We have great love for both countries. These are great countries, great places. It’s very interesting how the UK broke away. I sort of, as you know, predicted it. I was in Turnberry [a golf resort in Ayrshire] and was doing a ribbon-cutting because I bought Turnberry, which is doing unbelievably, and 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, as you know. I think Brexit is going to end up being a great thing.

So do you think we will be able to get a trade deal between the US and the UK quite quickly?

Absolutely, very quickly. I’m a big fan of the UK, uh, we’re gonna work very hard to get it done quickly and done properly – good for both sides. I will be meeting with [Theresa May] – in fact, if you want, you can see the letter, wherever the letter is, she just sent it. She’s requesting a meeting and we’ll have a meeting right after I get into the White House and it’ll be, I think we’re gonna get something done very quickly.

Why do you think Brexit happened?

People don’t want to have other people coming in and destroying their country, and you know in this country [the US] we’re gonna go very strong borders from the day I get in. One of the first orders I’m gonna sign – day one – which I will consider to be Monday, as opposed to Friday or Saturday. Right? I mean my day one is gonna be Monday, because I don’t want to be signing and get it mixed up with lots of celebration, but one of the first orders we’re gonna be signing is gonna be strong borders.