Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump invited the press into the Oval Office on Thursday, announcing a truly historic trade deal with one of America’s strongest and closest longtime allies, proving that the art of the deal is alive and well in this White House.
He announced that the trade deal between the United States and the United Kingdom has been hammered out, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cooperation and thanks to Trump’s leadership and his negotiating team.
“This agreement is the first in a series of agreements on trade that my administration has been negotiating over the past four weeks,” Trump said.
Flanked by other cabinet members, such as Vice President J.D. Vance and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Trump’s moment of trade triumph unfolded nearly cinematically as he laid out the astonishing details of the deal.
The UK, he said, “joins the United States in affirming that reciprocity and fairness is an essential and vital principle of international trade – the deal includes billions of dollars and increased market access for American exports, especially in American agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol, and all of the products produced by our great farmers.”
Additionally, the president said the UK has committed to reducing and eliminating non-tariff barriers on trade, as well as a fast-track system for moving American exports overseas. Trump described this as a “very, very quick form of approval – there won’t be any red tape.”
Trump revealed that the “final details” will be written up in the next few weeks, but the “actual deal is very conclusive.”
He called the agreement “so good for both countries” and lauded the move as one that will “bring the United Kingdom into the economic security alignment of the United States,” something he described as an “economic security blanket.”
Trump explained that this trade deal would strengthen national security by providing economic stability, and he highlighted the industrial manufacturing base that would be beefed up by this move, particularly in areas like steel exports.
During the presser, Trump invited Prime Minister Starmer to offer his comments. While the prime minister was not there in person, he made remarks on speakerphone, providing transparency for the press.
“This is a really fantastic, historic day in which we can announce this deal between our two great countries, and I think it’s a real tribute to the history we have of working together,” Starmer said.
He paid tribute to Trump’s leadership and expressed excitement about the historic impact of such a deal, heralding increased market access, job creation, and job protection. He also noted that this landmark announcement comes on the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, which illustrates the powerful alliance and friendship between the UK and the U.S.
“That close relationship has endured over those 80 years,” Starmer remarked.
He added, “We’ve managed to achieve what many people have tried to achieve for many years.”
At the conclusion of the phone call, the room burst into applause.
“It’s just been a deal that was, we thought, very complicated, [but] it became very simple,” Trump said. “It’s opening up the country that we really didn’t have the access [to] I would have thought…we got it done. Really, it’s going to be great for both countries.”
