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Theresa May says she trusts Donald Trump: 'Of course I listen to what the American president tells me'

Prime minister talks about her relationship with US leader ahead of UN General Assembly meeting in New York

Colin Drury
Monday 24 September 2018 16:49 BST
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Theresa May says she trusts Donald Trump

Theresa May has said she trusts Donald Trump, although she had to be pressed to answer whether that was the case.

“Of course I listen to what the American president tells me,” the prime minister told CBS This Morning host John Dickerson after he asked: "When he tells you something, do you trust him?"

Pushing for an answer Mr Dickerson asked: "But do you trust him?"

After a pause, Ms May replied: "Well, yes. I mean, we work together. We have a special relationship. This is two people reflecting as leaders of their two countries – the relationship that those two countries have and have built up over a number of years.”

The awkward exchange came ahead of this week’s United Nations General Assembly which will see 130 world leaders – including Mrs May and Mr Trump – gather in New York.

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During the interview Mrs May admitted said she had had disagreements with the US president – but declined the chance to say she was disappointed with his response to the Salisbury novichok poisonings.

Two Russians, identified as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, are accused of attempting to murder ex spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the town in March. But, while the US expelled 60 Russian diplomats in response to the incident, Mr Trump did not raise the matter during a one-to-one summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin in July.

“A number of issues were raised in that discussion,” said Ms May, adding: “I think expelling 60 Russian intelligence officers sent the message home pretty clearly.”

She added: “The point of the special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States in a sense is that we can have frank and open discussions. And when we disagree, we will – we can say to each other we disagree and why we disagree. But at the same time, we cooperate on so much else, which is of crucial importance to us.”

She said she disagreed with Mr Trump about the Iran nuclear deal and would work to keep it standing.

“The United States has taken a particular view on how to deal with this issue,” she said. “That's a view which we disagree with. We take a different view. But that deal is still in place.”

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