President Arrives in Ireland to Meet With Varadkar: Trump Update
President Says `Always a Chance' of War With Iran: Trump Update
(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump arrived in Shannon, Ireland for talks with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. The President spent most of the day at D-Day commemorations in the U.K., where he met briefly with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Earlier he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that there’s “always a chance” of military conflict with Iran and that he’s “seriously” considering a ban on gun silencers following last week’s deadly shooting in Virginia.
Key Developments:
- Having stirred controversy by saying the U.K.’s state-funded health service could be opened to U.S. companies in a trade deal, Trump told ITV the NHS wouldn’t be part of negotiations
- Trump said he’d be prepared to talk to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani but there’s “always a chance” of military action
- He met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel for talks
- Trump praised Tory leadership rivals Johnson, Hunt, Gove
- Said he’s “seriously” considering a ban on gun silencers, though he doesn’t “love the idea”
- Trump spoke to ITV’s Good Morning Britain for interview broadcast on Wednesday
Trump arrives in Shannon, Ireland (5:05 p.m.)
Donald and Melania Trump were greeted by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on the tarmac. In a press conference shortly after that, Varadkar was quick to tell Trump that the government is anxious to avoid a border a result of Brexit, after the U.S. President told him it “will all work out with your wall.” At the moment, there’s no visible border on the island of Ireland - a situation a hard Brexit threatens.
Trump also said North Korea hasn’t been testing nuclear weapons and wants to make a deal, as does China. On Mexico, Trump said he thinks it wants to make a deal on immigration to avoid tariffs kicking in next week, and that he expects to know more later today.
President Leaves U.K. for Ireland (3:05 p.m.)
Donald Trump left Portsmouth and headed to Shannon, Ireland, for a meeting with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.
Trump And Merkel Talked About Libya, West Africa (2:40 p.m.)
“President Trump and Chancellor Merkel had a pull aside meeting for about 10 minutes. The two leaders discussed the current situation in Libya and the deteriorating conditions in West Africa. They agreed to discuss further at the G20," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.
Trump Met Merkel For 10 Minutes (2:05 p.m.)
The two leaders sat, smiling in a small room without saying a word while reporters were present. Trump was then joined by U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton and White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and reporters were shown out.
Trump to Meet Merkel at D-Day Event (1:10 p.m.)
Donald Trump will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the margins of the D-Day commemorations, the White House said.
The event is not a full bilateral meeting and details of what the pair will discuss have not be released in advance.
Queen Gives Thanks for ‘Whole Free World’ (12:35 p.m.)
Queen Elizabeth II expressed gratitude on behalf of the “whole free world” at the D-Day ceremony. “The heroism, courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives will never be forgotten,” she said.
Her remarks followed President Donald Trump’s reading of a prayer that President Franklin Roosevelt first delivered by radio on the day of the Normandy invasion in 1944.
“When I attended the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the D-Day Landings, some thought it might be the last such event,” the Queen said. “But the wartime generation - my generation - is resilient, and I am delighted to be with you in Portsmouth today.”
Trump Joins Merkel and Macron at D-Day Event (11:20 a.m.)
Donald Trump joined other leaders at events in Portsmouth, southern England, to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the invasion that was decisive in the allied victory in World War II.
As events started, Trump met with Queen Elizabeth II; the event is also attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Prime Minister Theresa May and other leaders.
Trump: ‘Seriously’ Looking at Banning Gun Silencers (8 a.m.)
In the interview with the ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Trump said he’s “seriously” looking at banning gun silencers. His comments follow the deadly shooting at a municipal center in Virginia Beach last week, where police recovered a high-capacity magazine and a silencer mechanism from the scene.
“I don’t like them,” Trump said of gun silencers. “I don’t love the idea” of a ban, he said, though he added: “I don’t like the idea what’s happening.”
Virginia’s Democratic governor, Ralph Northam, said Tuesday he will summon lawmakers back to the state Capitol to consider a package of gun-control legislation, including a ban on silencers and high-capacity magazines.
Trump Praises Tory Rivals in Race to Succeed May (7:30 a.m.)
Trump had warm words for some of the Conservative leadership candidates vying to succeed Prime Minister Theresa May, including Environment Secretary Michael Gove. “I met him last night at the dinner for the first time,’’ Trump told Good Morning Britain. “I thought he was very good.”
Trump, who was interviewed by former journalist Gove for Rupert Murdoch’s Times newspaper in 2017, also praised contenders Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. “Boris is doing well. I think Jeremy is doing well. I don’t know too many of them, but those two I have a lot of respect for.”
“You have a lot of good people. I will say this: Your next prime minister -- whoever it may be is going to be -- you have a very interesting moment in your country’s history,” Trump said. “I was saying to the Queen last night: your choice of your next prime minister is a very important choice. You really have to get it right.”
Trump: ‘Always a Chance’ of War With Iran (6:50 a.m.)
Trump told Good Morning Britain that while he’s not looking to go to war with Iran and would rather talk to President Hassan Rouhani, there’s “always a chance” of military action if the Islamic Republic takes steps to acquire nuclear weapons.
Rouhani has said he is “not looking to go to war with the United States,’’ Trump told Good Morning Britain, reiterating his hope that conflict could be avoided. He said the Iran nuclear accord with world powers hadn’t worked. Iran was “terrorist nation number one in the world at that time, and probably maybe are today,” Trump said.
Trump’s administration has already pulled out of the 2015 accord and reimposed extensive sanctions Iran, a stance the European Union -- including the U.K. -- disagrees with.
Trump Says Prince Charles Lobbied on Climate (6:30 a.m.)
In an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Trump said that Prince Charles, Britain’s next king, lobbied him about climate change in their meeting on Tuesday. The pair spoke for an hour and a quarter, discussing climate change and architecture, according to Trump.
While Charles, whose official title is Prince of Wales, is a well-known climate campaigner, as a royal he is supposed to be above politics. And while Trump expressed respect for the prince, it appears he didn’t change his mind, telling Good Morning Britain: “I believe that there’s a change in weather, and I believe it changes both ways” rather than climate change.
Earlier:
--With assistance from Tim Ross, Chelsea Mes, Thomas Penny, Margaret Talev, Kitty Donaldson and Dara Doyle.
To contact the reporters on this story: Kathleen Hunter in London at khunter9@bloomberg.net;Alyza Sebenius in Portsmouth, England at asebenius@bloomberg.net;Margaret Talev in Washington at mtalev@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs
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