‘I promise you’ll like him’: New US ambassador reassures Britain about President Trump
New US Ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson has promised that when people get to know President Donald Trump, they’ll actually like him.
During his first speech as ambassador, Johnson defended the Republican US leader, saying: “Many of you do not know the president.
“I have known him for over 30 years.
“Our sons were born three days apart in the same hospital. Our relationship is long-standing, personal and close.
“And I can promise you, when you get to know him, you'll like him,” Johnson said, according to the Telegraph.
Speaking in Middle Temple Hall at the annual event organized by Anglo-American friendship society The Pilgrims of Great Britain, the 70-year-old owner of American football team the New York Jets also took the chance to highlight the strong relationship between the UK and the US.
He said the US would support Britain as it withdraws from the EU and said: “Britain's decision to leave the European Union takes your country into new territory — but you are not heading there on your own.
“It is in everyone's interest that Brexit be transparent, smooth, and orderly.
“But whatever the outcome of the negotiations between the UK and the EU, Britain should know you will have a strong and reliable trade and investment partner in America,” the ambassador said, the paper reported.
The American billionaire added that he wants the UK to remain a leader in Europe and remain, along with the US, a “strong leader globally.”
Johnson, who inherited the Johnson and Johnson pharmaceutical empire, then stressed the extent to which the two countries are tied.
“Our countries are among each other’s largest inward investors,” he said.
“Americans and Brits hold roughly 1 trillion dollars of investment and employ approximately 1 million people in each other’s countries — jobs that have increased prosperity and opportunity in all four countries of the United Kingdom and in every American state,” he said.
In an apparent reference to former US President Barack Obama’s statement that the UK would end up at the back of the queue if it chose to withdraw from the EU, Johnson said: “As far as the president is concerned, the United Kingdom, our most enduring ally, is always at the head of the line.”
