Trump says the UK should “walk away” from its Brexit deal - Vox.com

President Donald Trump inserted himself into the UK’s fraught politics ahead of his official state visit to the nation Sunday, suggesting the government should “walk away” from a Brexit deal with the European Union if British demands are not met.

“I would walk away,” Trump said in an interview with The Sunday Times. “If you don’t get the deal you want, if you don’t get a fair deal, then you walk away.”

Trump also criticized the sum the UK must pay the EU as part of its exit, roughly $50 billion.

“If I were them, I wouldn’t pay $50 billion,” the president said. “That is a tremendous number.”

Outgoing UK Prime Minister Theresa May negotiated an exit deal with the European Union, but has failed to get Parliament to agree to the plan. Leaving the EU without a deal could cause the UK economic harm; President Trump, however, believes that no deal is better than a bad deal, and suggested it isn’t too late to get the EU to come back to the negotiating table — something EU officials have said they have no will to do.

Trump suggested the UK sue the EU to give the nation “ammunition” in its fight to leave, and also said the kingdom’s people would be wise to send Nigel Farage, leader of Brexit Party, to Brussels to renegotiate the separation deal. The Brexit Party recently took first place in the UK election for its European Parliament representatives, winning 29 seats.

“I like Nigel a lot,” Trump said. “He has a lot to offer, he is a very smart person. They won’t bring him in but think how well they would do if they did. They just haven’t figured that out yet.”

The US president has had many kind words for Theresa May’s rivals; earlier, Trump said Boris Johnson, Prime Minister Theresa May’s former foreign secretary and a prominent Brexit campaigner, would make a great prime minister following May’s resignation. Johnson has said the UK should leave the EU by October 31 with or without a deal.

Johnson is one of the frontrunners to become the next prime minister but, as Vox’s Jen Kirby reported, he may not want Trump’s backing given how reviled the US president is in the UK. Widespread protests are expected to greet the American delegation when it arrives Monday.

Demonstrations happened last time Trump came to the UK, complete with a Trump baby blimp. But protesters have upped the ante and are reportedly planning to unveil a 16-foot-tall robot of a texting Trump sitting on a golden toilet — a toilet that farts and says “No collusion.” (It was made in China, to add insult to injury.)

Major protests are expected on June 4 in London, though there will be other, smaller protests (including a pot-and-pan banging outside Trump’s state dinner on Monday) in London and other cities.

Trump will have a respite later Tuesday, when he hosts a dinner at the US Ambassador’s residence on Tuesday, which Prince Charles and Camilla will attend.

On Wednesday, Trump heads to Portsmouth — a major departure port for the allied naval forces in the Normandy invasion in World War II — where ceremonies will be held to commemorate D-Day. There are some worries over Trump protests there, with some fearing it may detract from the solemn ceremonies.

Trump is also facing criticism over a comment he made about the popular new duchess, Meghan Markle. Although the royal family stays away from commenting on politics, particularly foreign politics, Markle was critical of Trump during the 2016 election, back when she was a private American citizen.

When asked about Markle saying she’d move to Canada if he was elected, Trump responded, “I didn’t know she was nasty.”

The president took to Twitter to claim he’d never made that statement; however, as NBC News reports, audio seems to suggest he did, in fact, say those words about the duchess. Markle will not dine with the president along with the rest of the royal family because she’s on maternity leave.

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https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/6/2/18649406/donald-trump-uk-walk-away-brexit-state-visit

2019-06-02 16:58:01Z
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As Trump’s state visit looms, Britain seems a reluctant host - The Washington Post

LONDON — In Britain, a state visit doesn’t just mean dining with the prime minister, or even tea with the queen. It means an extraordinary level of pomp and pageantry, plus a sleepover at Buckingham Palace.

At least, it normally does. 

Britain is gearing up for this week’s state visit by President Trump as only Britain can do. There will be an official greeting ceremony at Buckingham Palace, a lavish banquet with the queen’s best china, a gun salute fired from Green Park and the Tower of London. 

It will all be suitably over-the-top. 

But there is also a sense that British officials are slightly less than enthusiastic about this particular round of state visit grandeur.

Some of the traditional trappings — such as staying over at Buckingham Palace, a royal welcome at the Horse Guards Parade and a gold carriage procession down the Mall — are notably absent.

“When extending a visit and making those plans concrete, you want to feel excited and joyful at the idea, and I think people have sort of seen it as something they have to get through,” said Leslie Vinjamuri, head of Chatham House’s Americas program. 

But she added that there was still intense interest from the British public. “Anytime an American president comes to town it’s exciting, not necessarily for the right reasons, but certainly people are very aware around town, not least because of the traffic jams,” she said, referring to planned mass protests. 

The British government, preoccupied with its own domestic turmoil, has long seemed wary about hosting Trump for a state visit. 

For one thing, it took a long time to pencil a date in the diary. 

Britain is at its most delicate political moment in years. Now here comes Trump.

Prime Minister Theresa May extended the queen’s invitation in 2017, when Trump had been in the job for barely a week. Britain’s government, caught as off-guard as anyone by Trump’s election, scrambled to get in the new president’s good graces. The invitation was part of a charm offensive intended to win Trump’s favor.

But the idea was roundly panned by Britons from nearly every party who wondered why Trump was being accorded an honor that other world leaders wait years for — and most U.S. presidents never received at all. That Trump was widely loathed by the British public only added to the consternation.

Only a year earlier, Parliament had gone so far as to stage a formal debate over whether to ban Trump from setting foot on British soil. For three hours, lawmakers sounded off on a then-candidate they described as a racist, a misogynist and “a dangerous fool.”

After the invitation, House of Commons Speaker John Bercow said Trump would not be welcome to address lawmakers at the Palace of Westminster, as other presidents had done.

“Our opposition to racism and to sexism and our support for equality before the law and an independent judiciary are hugely important considerations in the House of Commons,” he said.

Dozens of other parliamentarians campaigned to have the invitation retracted, and a citizens’ petition collected 1.9 million signatures before it was closed.

As recently as this spring, there was an active campaign among MPs to force the government to uninvite Trump. 

But in April, more than two years after the invitation was first offered, Buckingham Palace announced that a three-day state visit would go forward. 

That hasn’t quieted the opposition. London Mayor Sadiq Khan, with whom Trump has often feuded, said on Friday that as important as relations between the United States and Britain may be, “it’s wrong that the red carpet is rolled out.”

Up to a quarter-million protesters are expected to take to the streets in London to register their dismay. Hovering above will be a blimp depicting Trump as an overgrown baby — diaper firmly affixed, mobile phone in-hand.

Eight previous U.S. presidents have visited the queen during her long reign, dating back to Dwight Eisenhower in 1959. But Trump is only the third American leader to receive the honor of a state visit, following presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Unlike his predecessor, Trump won’t be staying overnight at Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the queen. 

Instead, he will stay at Winfield House, the stately home of U.S. Ambassador Woody Johnson, which has the second-largest gardens in London (after Buckingham Palace). When Trump visited Britain last summer for a more modest working visit, he stayed there as well. 

Buckingham Palace is reportedly unable to host the Trumps because of ongoing renovation work that began in 2016. According to the official royal website, Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms, including 52 “royal and guest bedrooms.” 

Trump is known to hold the queen in high regard. He once told the Times of London that his Scottish-born mother “loved the queen … she loved the ceremonial and the beauty, because nobody does that like the English. And she had great respect for the queen.” 

When Trump met the queen last year, there was a muddle over who should walk where when the duo was inspecting the queen’s honor guard. At one point, the queen gestured to Trump, seemingly to instruct him where to go. The Internet went wild over the question of whether Trump had disrespected the queen by walking in front of her.

Over the next three days, Trump will meet with several senior royals — though not American royal Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who gave birth last month. (She previously called Trump “misogynistic,” last week he called her “nasty.”) He is scheduled to have a private lunch with the queen and tea with Prince Charles and Camilla. On the final day of his visit, he will join the queen and Prince Charles to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. 

But whatever happens over the next few days, the queen, one expects, will be as inscrutable as ever. 

“That’s the queen’s job, dealing with people whether she likes them or not,” said Robert Lacey, a royal biographer, who noted that the queen may not have liked all of 13 British prime ministers who have served during her long reign, but she still meets them every week for “audiences” and “treats them with total dignity.” 

“The queen has dealt with monsters in her time, from Idi Amin to Robert Mugabe,” he said, “and this is an elected head of state of our most important ally and friend. This is her job.”

Read more

Trump says Duchess Meghan was ‘nasty’ about him.

Want to inherit Britain’s Brexit mess? A lot of candidates do, with fractures over how to fix it.

House Speaker John Bercow on Theresa May, Brexit and why he won’t leave — yet

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/as-trumps-state-visit-looms-britain-seems-a-reluctant-host/2019/06/02/c0378178-83b3-11e9-b585-e36b16a531aa_story.html

2019-06-02 16:28:00Z
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China has made its trade war demands ahead of the G20 summit: tariffs have not 'made America great again' - Business Insider

Oliver Contreras/Getty; Greg Baker/Getty; Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

On Sunday, a senior Chinese official made a series of statements outlining the Chinese government's terms for negotiation and pushed back on the United States' use of pressure to force concessions, according to multiple reports.

Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen, who led the working-level team in earlier negotiations, said on Sunday that the US bears responsibility for the collapse of trade talks, and noted that any deal must include "balanced" language between the two countries, according to a Bloomberg report.

"We're willing to adopt a cooperative approach to find a solution," Wang said, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

According to an Associated Press report, Wang added: "During the consultations, China has overcome many difficulties and put forward pragmatic solutions. However, the U.S. has backtracked, and when you give them an inch, they want a yard."

Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe reinforced Wang's comments during a defense forum in Singapore on Sunday, according to the AP report.

"If the U.S. wants to talk, we will keep the door open. If they want a fight, we will fight till the end," Wei said.

Washington raised tariffs to 25% from 10% on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods on May 10, and Beijing retaliated three days later by announcing raised tariffs on $60 billion worth of American goods that went into effect Saturday. In May, the US made a list of prospective tariffs on another $300 billion worth of goods that have yet to go into effect.

Read More: THE TECH COLD WAR: Everything that's happened in the new China-US tech conflict involving Google, Huawei, Apple, and Trump

According to a white paper released by the Chinese government alongside Wang's public comments, the trade war has not "made America great again," and has instead had negative impacts across the US economy.

The white paper also outlined requirements for a trade deal between the two countries: the United States remove all additional tariffs, China's purchases of US goods should be "realistic," and there should be a clearly defined "balance" in the agreement's text.

The statements come ahead of the G20 summit, where it is unclear whether negotiators will meet. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the paper and the timing of its release is a way for China to make its position clear going into the international summit.

This all comes as trade tensions between the United States and China continue to escalate in what is feared to become a tech Cold War. Washington's blacklisting of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei is still a major pain point in negotiations, and has led to Chinese retaliation against US tech companies. On Wednesday, China hinted it may restrict rare earth exports to the US, which could cripple US tech, defense, and manufacturing industries.

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https://www.businessinsider.com/china-us-trade-talks-negotiation-g20-2019-6

2019-06-02 14:42:54Z
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Trump’s Huawei Problem: Asia Doesn’t Want U.S. to Kneecap China - Bloomberg

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1. Trump’s Huawei Problem: Asia Doesn’t Want U.S. to Kneecap China  Bloomberg
2. China vows military action if Taiwan, sea claims opposed  Fox News
3. Tiananmen Square: China minister defends 1989 crackdown  BBC News
4. Chinese Defense Minister Accuses U.S. of Destabilizing Asia  The Wall Street Journal
5. China to 'fight at all costs' for 'reunification' with Taiwan: defense minister  Reuters
6. View full coverage on Google News

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-02/trump-s-huawei-problem-asia-doesn-t-want-u-s-to-kneecap-china

2019-06-02 14:34:34Z
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Donald Trump says he never called Meghan Markle 'nasty,' calls comments about Duchess 'fake news' - Fox News

Donald Trump denied calling Meghan Markle "nasty."

Last week, it was reported that Duchess Meghan, 37, would skip out on events with President Trump during his state visit to the U.K., citing maternity leave following the birth of her and Prince Harry's son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

An interview she'd done previously while promoting "Suits" resurfaced at the time, in which she'd called Trump "misogynistic ... and so vocal about it," adding, “I’m voting for Hillary Clinton, not because she is a woman, but because Trump has made it easy to see that you don’t really want that kind of world that he’s painting.”

MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY HIRE HILLARY CLINTON'S FORMER SENIOR ADVISER

She also said she may have moved to Canada permanently if he got elected.

In an interview with The Sun on Saturday, Trump reportedly said he was "shocked" by Duchess Meghan's remarks.

Donald Trump was reported to have called Meghan Markle "nasty" for comments she made about him in the 2016 election. He then denied making the remark about the Duchess of Sussex. (Getty)

“I didn’t know that. What can I say? I didn’t know that she was nasty," Trump reportedly told the outlet. When confronted with the fact that she wouldn't be seeing him during his state visit, he replied, “I didn’t know that. I hope she is OK.”

PRINCE HARRY TO BE EVEN MORE PROTECTIVE OF MEGHAN MARKLE FOLLOWING BIRTH OF SON, EXPERT SAYS

The former "Apprentice" host added that he believes the former actress will make “a very good” American princess, noting, “It is nice, and I am sure she will do excellently. She will be very good. I hope she does [succeed].”

On Sunday morning, however, the POTUS changed his tune.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"I never called Meghan Markle 'nasty,' he tweeted. "Made up by the Fake News Media, and they caught cold! Will @CNN, @nytimes and others apologize? Doubt it!"

Despite his denial, there is an audio recording circulating of President Trump saying the exact quote about Duchess Meghan that had been reported.

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https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/donald-trump-twitter-meghan-markle-nasty-denial

2019-06-02 14:22:35Z
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Trump’s Huawei Problem: Asia Doesn’t Want U.S. to Kneecap China - Bloomberg

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Trump’s Huawei Problem: Asia Doesn’t Want U.S. to Kneecap China  Bloomberg

Smoking cigarettes at Singapore’s Shangri-La Hotel, the site of Asia’s most prominent annual defense forum, members of China’s military found themselves surprisingly upbeat this weekend. They expected the event to follow a typical routine: The U.S. and its friends gang up on China, leaving it alone to push back against a host of complaints. But this year, with an escalating trade war threatening global growth, the People’s Liberation Army officers saw other Asian leaders critiquing key aspects of the Trump administration’s attacks on China. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong set the t...

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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-02/trump-s-huawei-problem-asia-doesn-t-want-u-s-to-kneecap-china

2019-06-02 14:20:08Z
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Cruise ship rams tourist boat in busy Venice canal, four hurt - CNN

The cruise ship, MSC Opera, rammed into the San Basilio terminal, and hit a smaller tourist boat -- the River Countess -- that was docked there, the local port authority told CNN.

Four people suffered "light injuries" in the accident, it said.

The incident happened at around 8.30am local time on the Giudecca canal, one of the busiest in the Italian city which is hugely popular with tourists.

Video on Twitter showed the huge cruise ship heading for the dock, shoving the smaller boat out of the way, and causing onlookers on land to flee.

"The noise of siren and of clash is totally frightening, looking like a scene from a disaster movie," wrote Twitter user Tancredi Palmeri, who posted a video of the dramatic collision.

The cruise ship operator, MSC Cruises, said in a statement that the vessel "experienced a technical issue" while heading towards the terminal for mooring.

"Investigations to understand the exact causes of the events are currently in progress," it said. In the meantime, the ship has "received authorization to be moored at the Marittima terminal, as planned."

From there, it will continue to carry out "passenger boarding and disembarking operations."

The local port authority for Venice told CNN its priority on Sunday was managing the accident, but that from tomorrow it would be looking to "finally create a solution to the traffic of large ships in Venice."

The country's Environment Minister, Sergio Costa, said on Twitter that the incident is a "confirmation of what we have been saying for a long time: Cruise ships must not sail down the Giudecca (canal).

"This is why for months we have been working with the ministers... to move them (the vessels) and we are close to a solution."

Valentina DiDonato reported from Rome, Sheena McKenzie wrote in London

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/02/europe/cruise-ship-crashes-tourist-boat-venice-intl/index.html

2019-06-02 13:47:23Z
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