Trump-May meet draws mixed reaction

British Prime Minister Theresa May met US President Donald Trump on Friday to garner support as UK is poised to leave European Union. May fared well in meeting with Trump, who promised her what the former demanded.
She returns with Trump’s promise to seek an early trade deal with Britain once it leaves the European Union, a commitment from the president not to abandon NATO and Trump’s praise for what he called ‘this most special relationship.’
May wanted her meetings with Trump to revitalize the trans-Atlantic ‘special relationship.’ It delights those who think Trump’s presidency will be good for Britain but alarms others who loathe the Republican populist.
Trump got an invitation from Queen Elizabeth to come for a state visit. British PM emerged from the joint appearance looking confident and controlled. Trump, too, was notably calm and measured in her presence.
But May drew criticism for embracing aspects of Trump policies. She spent her time with Trump dodging his despicable comments on torture, on women, on Muslims and on Mexicans. She has been accused of having failed to stand up for British values. At the press conference, Trump repeated his belief that torture works. May meekly said UK is against torture.
May had scarcely left when Trump issued an executive order barring all refugees from entering the US for four months and imposing a 90-day ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries.
But the pro-Brexit section lauded the warmth of the visit. They called it one of the most extraordinary days in the long history of UK-US relations.
The worries of May include the negotiation and delivery of Brexit, an aggressive Russia on the borders of Europe and the Syrian refugee crisis. Trade was foremost on May’s mind. She succeeded in this regard to an extent as Trump assured that high-level talks would start to pave the way for a trade agreement with the US once the UK has left the EU.
Trump said, “I think Brexit’s going to be a wonderful thing for your country. “I think,” he said “when it irons out, you’re gonna have your own identity and you’re going to have the people that you want in your country and you’re going to be able to make free trade deals without having somebody watching you and what you’re doing.”
May’s goal is to move Trump to engage with the world by showering him with respect. She even coaxed a diplomatic concession. May reminded the president about his commitment to back NATO. It is good enough for her, and could be enough of a reassurance to European countries worried about their security.
May’s is trying to show that Britain can succeed internationally without being part of the EU. The European Union leaders have unequivocally said that after Brexit, UK would be denied European single market. Closer trade relations with the US, ideally in the form of a new free-trade agreement, would be valuable.
Nonetheless there’s a chance that a continuation of the special relationship could help both nations. A robust US-UK trade deal would offer a smaller benefit for the US than for Britain, but a benefit nonetheless. Since Britain’s exporters aren’t cheating by exploiting cheap labor, this could be the kind of good deal Trump claims to favour. In other areas, too, the Brits have something to offer. Intelligence-sharing is another area of mutual benefit. With May’s visit, Trump realizes a truth that US stands to gain from its friendships and alliances.