WEBVTT - Former UK Security Adviser Talks Trump Visit 

0:00:02.520 --> 0:00:07.000
<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.

0:00:07.280 --> 0:00:09.760
<v Speaker 2>President Trump landed last night for the start of his

0:00:10.080 --> 0:00:13.080
<v Speaker 2>second state visit to Britain, even as the UK hopes

0:00:13.360 --> 0:00:16.120
<v Speaker 2>that a banquet were the King lots of Pomber carriage,

0:00:16.160 --> 0:00:19.799
<v Speaker 2>procession through Windsor Castle and the estate there and a

0:00:19.880 --> 0:00:22.520
<v Speaker 2>meeting at Checkers with the Prime Minister will result in

0:00:22.560 --> 0:00:25.360
<v Speaker 2>investment deals, some of which have already been announced. Kirs

0:00:25.400 --> 0:00:28.760
<v Speaker 2>Starmer's government has quietly dropped talks to try to lower

0:00:28.800 --> 0:00:32.240
<v Speaker 2>the twenty five percent US import levy on UK steel,

0:00:32.800 --> 0:00:35.040
<v Speaker 2>joining US now as Mark Lyle Grant, who is former

0:00:35.159 --> 0:00:38.680
<v Speaker 2>UK Ambassador to the UN and also former National Security

0:00:38.720 --> 0:00:41.880
<v Speaker 2>Advisor to the then Prime Minister twenty fifteen to twenty

0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:46.040
<v Speaker 2>seventeen and joins US now Mark. Good morning, morning, Lovely

0:00:46.080 --> 0:00:49.760
<v Speaker 2>to speak to you. Your service as national Security advisor.

0:00:50.120 --> 0:00:53.520
<v Speaker 2>It overlapped with the beginning of President Trump's first presidency

0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:57.040
<v Speaker 2>and back then you were advising Teresa May. What would

0:00:57.040 --> 0:00:59.160
<v Speaker 2>you be advising Prime Minister Kirs Starmer ahead of this

0:00:59.280 --> 0:00:59.840
<v Speaker 2>visit now?

0:01:00.560 --> 0:01:03.080
<v Speaker 3>Well, I think this visit is a good opportunity for

0:01:03.160 --> 0:01:06.120
<v Speaker 3>Kir Starmer. He's had a difficult couple of weeks with

0:01:06.640 --> 0:01:12.240
<v Speaker 3>high level resignations from his inner team, including just recently

0:01:12.520 --> 0:01:16.400
<v Speaker 3>the British ambassador to Washington. So he will want, I

0:01:16.440 --> 0:01:19.280
<v Speaker 3>think a number of things from this visit. He'll want

0:01:19.319 --> 0:01:22.760
<v Speaker 3>a distraction from some of his domestic concerns. He'll want

0:01:22.840 --> 0:01:25.480
<v Speaker 3>President Trump to be impressed by the sort of pomp

0:01:25.520 --> 0:01:31.400
<v Speaker 3>and circumstances of the royal engagement with the President, and

0:01:31.480 --> 0:01:35.200
<v Speaker 3>he will want some specific things, particularly on trade and investment,

0:01:35.440 --> 0:01:38.200
<v Speaker 3>some of which have already been announced as you mentioned.

0:01:38.760 --> 0:01:42.800
<v Speaker 3>So it's a high event, a high profile event both

0:01:42.920 --> 0:01:45.080
<v Speaker 3>for President Trump but also for Kirstarmer.

0:01:45.720 --> 0:01:48.520
<v Speaker 1>So high profile. But is it also high risk? Is

0:01:48.560 --> 0:01:52.480
<v Speaker 1>the UK making a mistake by aligning itself so closely

0:01:52.560 --> 0:01:55.160
<v Speaker 1>to the US versus other allies when we see other

0:01:55.200 --> 0:01:56.600
<v Speaker 1>countries taking a different path.

0:01:57.280 --> 0:01:59.080
<v Speaker 3>No, I don't think so. I mean when I was

0:01:59.200 --> 0:02:02.640
<v Speaker 3>National Security, as you mentioned during the Trump first term,

0:02:03.200 --> 0:02:05.680
<v Speaker 3>we did have a discussion about, you know, was this

0:02:05.760 --> 0:02:07.960
<v Speaker 3>going to be particularly awkward? There were going to be

0:02:08.000 --> 0:02:13.320
<v Speaker 3>policy differences, but the overwhelming view was that, you know,

0:02:13.400 --> 0:02:17.720
<v Speaker 3>America's our most important ally, It's absolutely essential for us

0:02:17.760 --> 0:02:23.200
<v Speaker 3>in terms of security, intelligence, nuclear defense, etc. And the

0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:26.160
<v Speaker 3>best way to deal with any US president is to

0:02:26.240 --> 0:02:29.240
<v Speaker 3>hug him close. And that goes for President Trump just

0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:33.120
<v Speaker 3>as much as any other American president. Now, of course,

0:02:33.160 --> 0:02:36.560
<v Speaker 3>in his first term there was a conservative government in

0:02:36.680 --> 0:02:40.519
<v Speaker 3>the UK and a sort of slightly chaotic, to say

0:02:40.520 --> 0:02:44.240
<v Speaker 3>the least, Trump administration in Washington. This time you've got

0:02:44.240 --> 0:02:47.520
<v Speaker 3>a more organized and more vigorous Trump administration and a

0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:51.119
<v Speaker 3>labor government in London. So of course there are going

0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:54.320
<v Speaker 3>to be some significant policy differences, and some of those

0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:57.720
<v Speaker 3>will be aired over the next couple of days, particularly

0:02:58.240 --> 0:03:01.760
<v Speaker 3>on the Middle East, but perhaps also on Ukraine and

0:03:02.160 --> 0:03:07.720
<v Speaker 3>issues like free speech. But nonetheless, the same principle applies

0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:11.639
<v Speaker 3>that we are America's best ally and America is our

0:03:11.639 --> 0:03:14.400
<v Speaker 3>most important ally as well, so there has to be

0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:16.600
<v Speaker 3>a close bilateral relationship.

0:03:16.360 --> 0:03:19.239
<v Speaker 2>Of course, But hugging the United States close also does

0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:24.320
<v Speaker 2>mean quite significant intervention by the US in domestic UK politics,

0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:30.400
<v Speaker 2>notably Elon Musk giving significant support to the United the

0:03:30.480 --> 0:03:32.920
<v Speaker 2>Kingdom March over the weekend, which is organized by Tommy

0:03:33.040 --> 0:03:36.880
<v Speaker 2>Robinson and talking about violence is coming to you. You

0:03:37.000 --> 0:03:39.520
<v Speaker 2>either fight back or you die. I mean that Stama

0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:43.720
<v Speaker 2>government had to condemn that kind of inflammatory statement. Does

0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:47.040
<v Speaker 2>it concern you? Should the UK be concerned about the

0:03:47.040 --> 0:03:48.680
<v Speaker 2>threat of political interference.

0:03:49.600 --> 0:03:53.280
<v Speaker 3>I don't think so particularly No, I mean, Elon Musk

0:03:53.400 --> 0:03:56.400
<v Speaker 3>is no longer associated with administration after all, and President

0:03:56.400 --> 0:03:58.920
<v Speaker 3>Trump himself in the run up to this visit has

0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:03.000
<v Speaker 3>been very careful not to criticize the UK or the

0:04:03.000 --> 0:04:06.400
<v Speaker 3>British government in any way, and that again is different

0:04:06.440 --> 0:04:10.480
<v Speaker 3>from his last state visit, when he did issue a

0:04:10.520 --> 0:04:13.920
<v Speaker 3>press interview that was actually rather critical of Tuisa May

0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:16.919
<v Speaker 3>at the time, I recall. So, I think he'll be

0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:19.320
<v Speaker 3>very careful and I don't think that Elon musk staff

0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:23.000
<v Speaker 3>will will interfere. But I think there will be some

0:04:23.200 --> 0:04:26.600
<v Speaker 3>nervousness tomorrow because tomorrow is the political day and there

0:04:26.600 --> 0:04:29.719
<v Speaker 3>will be a joint press conference between Keir Starmer and

0:04:29.800 --> 0:04:32.960
<v Speaker 3>Donald Trump. And in a press conference, there's no doubt

0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:36.640
<v Speaker 3>that journalists are gained to be pressing both men on

0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:40.680
<v Speaker 3>issues that divide them. That's what happens at these press conferences,

0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:42.680
<v Speaker 3>and so I think there'll be a lot of questions

0:04:42.680 --> 0:04:45.880
<v Speaker 3>about Mandelson, There'll be a lot of questions about free

0:04:45.920 --> 0:04:49.240
<v Speaker 3>speech and trying to drive wedges between the two men.

0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:52.880
<v Speaker 3>And of course, with President Trump, one never knows exactly

0:04:53.360 --> 0:04:55.479
<v Speaker 3>what he's going to do in response, so there'll be

0:04:55.520 --> 0:04:59.200
<v Speaker 3>some nervousness in London about how that goes tomorrow.

0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:02.120
<v Speaker 1>What do you think the biggest risk facing Key Starmer

0:05:02.160 --> 0:05:02.719
<v Speaker 1>in this visit.

0:05:03.520 --> 0:05:05.920
<v Speaker 3>Well, I think that is the biggest risk, the press conference.

0:05:06.000 --> 0:05:08.560
<v Speaker 3>You know, the two men get on surprisingly well. We've

0:05:08.600 --> 0:05:11.400
<v Speaker 3>seen for meetings in the White House, meetings in Scotland

0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:14.960
<v Speaker 3>this year already, so I don't think there's any sort

0:05:15.000 --> 0:05:19.480
<v Speaker 3>of personal issue between them. And it's always worth noting

0:05:19.520 --> 0:05:25.000
<v Speaker 3>on these occasions that President Trump is a natural, instinctive

0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:28.760
<v Speaker 3>anglifier for the obvious reasons. His mother was born in Scotland,

0:05:28.839 --> 0:05:31.120
<v Speaker 3>you know, his love of the royal family, the goal

0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:33.400
<v Speaker 3>for all that sort of thing. And that was not

0:05:33.560 --> 0:05:36.960
<v Speaker 3>the case with Joe Biden for sort of Irish reasons,

0:05:36.960 --> 0:05:39.719
<v Speaker 3>and it was not the case for Barack Obama for

0:05:39.760 --> 0:05:42.960
<v Speaker 3>sort of Kenya related reasons. So for the first time

0:05:43.040 --> 0:05:47.280
<v Speaker 3>for a while, we do have an angler file, naturally

0:05:47.520 --> 0:05:50.320
<v Speaker 3>anglifile president in the White House, and that does make

0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:52.600
<v Speaker 3>a difference on these sorts of occasions.

0:05:53.720 --> 0:05:56.479
<v Speaker 2>Putin is seen as a mounting military threat to NATA

0:05:56.520 --> 0:05:58.400
<v Speaker 2>and to Europe. Do you think that Starber will try

0:05:58.440 --> 0:06:01.640
<v Speaker 2>to get Trump to take a harder line on Putin.

0:06:01.760 --> 0:06:05.120
<v Speaker 2>Is that really an avenue you know that would bear fruit?

0:06:06.000 --> 0:06:07.800
<v Speaker 3>Well, it may not bear food, but I'm sure he

0:06:07.880 --> 0:06:11.160
<v Speaker 3>will try because the Europeans, all European governments, have been

0:06:11.200 --> 0:06:16.440
<v Speaker 3>deeply disappointed by President Trump's approach to Putin, the fact

0:06:16.480 --> 0:06:21.040
<v Speaker 3>that he's promised tougher mes is tougher sanctions on numerous

0:06:21.080 --> 0:06:24.599
<v Speaker 3>occasions in recent months and hasn't delivered, and seems to

0:06:24.640 --> 0:06:28.400
<v Speaker 3>be very averse to taking a tougher line with Putin

0:06:28.880 --> 0:06:31.920
<v Speaker 3>or indeed admitting sort of openly that Putin is solely

0:06:31.960 --> 0:06:35.599
<v Speaker 3>responsible for this conflict in Ukraine. So I think that

0:06:35.680 --> 0:06:38.800
<v Speaker 3>will certainly be an item on the agenda for discussion tomorrow.

0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:42.400
<v Speaker 1>Does kir Starmer have a better chance, given that the

0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:45.760
<v Speaker 1>meant the prelections of the presidents he noticed, as he

0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:49.040
<v Speaker 1>noted towards the UK Does he have a better chance

0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:52.960
<v Speaker 1>than other European leaders in getting Trump to do more

0:06:53.720 --> 0:06:55.360
<v Speaker 1>when it comes to Russia and Ukraine.

0:06:56.279 --> 0:06:59.719
<v Speaker 3>I think he does. I think we've seen that in

0:06:59.800 --> 0:07:02.560
<v Speaker 3>the sort of eight months of the Trump presidency so far,

0:07:03.080 --> 0:07:06.000
<v Speaker 3>that he does have an avenue of influence with the

0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:09.240
<v Speaker 3>President Trump. I don't say it's completely unique. I mean

0:07:09.480 --> 0:07:12.960
<v Speaker 3>others have different inns, like the finished president plays golf, etc.

0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:17.360
<v Speaker 3>But nonetheless, I think the closeness of the bilateral relationship

0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:21.080
<v Speaker 3>is very different from the sort of relationship that President

0:07:21.080 --> 0:07:24.800
<v Speaker 3>Trump has with the French leader, the German leader, and others.

0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:28.080
<v Speaker 3>So I think that does give him a certain opportunity

0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:32.280
<v Speaker 3>to exert influence on these big policy issues like Ukraine

0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:33.640
<v Speaker 3>and indeed the Middle East.