President Trump’s counter terror aide Sebastian Gorka has told GB News he finds Britain’s response to tariffs imposed by his administration “bemusing”.Speaking to Christopher Hope, Gorka said the tariffs are “favourable” when compared to EU neighbours.READ THE FULL STORY
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00:00Strange that you've had such a reaction from Blighty since these figures were announced, Christopher, because in comparison to your colleagues in the EU who are still shackled to that entity, unlike the great Brits after Brexit, you've got half, half of the tariff that they are under right now.
00:22So it's like a classroom of students and everybody got a D grade and you got a B and you're complaining. So I'm a little bit bemused by those in the UK who can't see the favourable terms you have been offered.
00:35And at the end of the day, it's just a levelling of the playing field. I think, you know, as well as anyone, that the president has a very special place in his heart for the UK for all kinds of reasons, for million and otherwise.
00:47But at the end of the day, he wants the special relationship to be based not just on free trade, but on fair trade and certain things that have to be balanced before we get to that point.
00:58You say it's levelling of the playing field. Over here, some people think it might be a 4% tariff could be understandable.
01:05I mean, we think that certainly the trade in industrial goods is balanced. It isn't balanced for services, but it is on industrial goods.
01:14So we don't quite understand where this came from.
01:17Well, look, I think the chyron or the lower third, as it is called, that you're posting right now under this interview is misleading.
01:27Nothing is here to stay. Nothing is carved in stone.
01:30I recommend to everyone who wants to understand the most powerful man in the world, read the book, The Art of the Deal.
01:39Understand how this individual, one of the most successful businessmen in history, who now is the president of the United States a second time, how he negotiates.
01:51Nothing is carved in stone.
01:53This is simply a message to those who have taken inequitable approaches to trade with the biggest market in the world.
02:01It's the beginning of a discussion. And I don't think our friends in the UK should be too worried if they apply common sense and if they come to the table understanding that you really can't get one over President Trump.
02:14How far away is this deal, this limited trading arrangement that we're in talks about between London and Washington?
02:22I'm asked this. This is the third time today I've been asked this question in terms of timelines.
02:28This has nothing to do with timelines. I'm very I feel sorry for my colleagues.
02:32I'm on the National Security Council. My colleagues at the National Economics Council have this spreadsheet of the more than 70 heads of state who since last week have signaled their desire for a phone call with the president.
02:45At the end of the day, it's not about when or a timeline.
02:50It's about achieving that equitable relationship with every nation that wishes to have it with the United States.
02:56And I think certain nations may be at the front of the queue if you get my drift, Christopher.
03:02Our PM hasn't yet spoken to your president since a week last Sunday.
03:07Why is that? Is that because he doesn't need to? Is the president not answering Sir Keir Starmer's phone calls?
03:11I don't manage the president's phone call schedule. I barely managed to keep up with him.
03:19That is the challenge for all of us here in the White House because he moves at the speed of light.
03:23So I could ask the front office, but I'm sure there are many, many reasons.
03:28The president has a rather busy schedule every day for the 20 hours of a day that he's working for us.
03:34Well, what do you say to pensioners and savers in this country?
03:37Our stock market is down four to six percent.
03:41People's value of their savings they've saved has fallen because of what Donald Trump has done.
03:47Are they right to blame him for the loss in their value?
03:50I would say have faith.
03:51I would say go online and have a look at the pictures of the late, great Elizabeth II with my boss, President Trump,
03:58and understand that, look, it's not hyperbole.
04:02It's not even pablum or boilerplate.
04:04As far as I'm concerned, as one of his deputies, the special relationship is special.
04:11Whoever wins the elections, whoever's in 10 Downing Street.
04:15And as such, I don't think the people of the UK have much to worry about if common sense prevails on the other side of the pond.
04:22And I have deep faith that it shall.
04:24Back in the UK, there's been talk today of a possible nationalisation of British steel.
04:33I'm not sure if you picked that up in Washington, but this could be the government protecting the last steel production unit in this country.
04:41Is that the kind of thing which Donald Trump would be proud of, do you think, Sebastian Gorka?
04:45I'm not sure that state involvement in industry is what we're looking at.
04:53We like to encourage private industry and to help private industry bring the jobs back home.
05:00Just look at the figures.
05:02Thanks to the president, thanks to the secretary of the Treasury, Scott Besson, thanks to Howard Lutnick.
05:07We have had more than $5 billion worth of investment promises made since we came into office.
05:16That's about American jobs.
05:18I think that's the way to go.
05:20I think we're of a similar vintage.
05:22I grew up under Maggie Thatcher.
05:24The economic policies of Maggie Thatcher made the UK great.
05:29And I think that's exactly what we're doing here in the US right now.
05:34And just finally, and thank you for joining us again tonight, Sebastian Gorka, is what is going on?
05:40Did the president blink, as some say, when he got spooked by the rising bond yields in America?
05:47Is that what he did there?
05:48Or was all part of the plan to pause for 90 days and then, as you say, have these talks with 75 or so different countries about new terms?
05:58What do you think?
05:59Look at the last eight weeks.
06:01Do you think anything is just simply happenstance, whether it's the fact we have a 98 percent decrease in illegal migrants over the border?
06:11If you look at what we've done in terms of just incredible deals, I was on the tarmac yesterday as we brought home the 45th hostage US citizen to the United States.
06:22There are no accidents in what happens in the Oval Office.
06:25So draw the requisite conclusions, but this is what the art of the deal looks like from the outside.