US President Donald Trump had a bullying tone during negotiations with former British Prime Minister Theresa May and the POTUS mansplained to her, The Telegraph reported, citing a cache of leaked notes taken during US-UK meetings and conversations.
According to the documents, the phone calls between the two were described as "nightmarish", with the US president reportedly often ignoring topics of discussion and going on long monologues. "It is hectoring, it is relentless, it is forceful, it is difficult to get a word in", one ex-May adviser who listened to the conversations said about Trump’s style of conducting negotiations.
One US official who listened to a call between the two leaders claimed Mrs May got so frustrated at two points that the they thought she would either "scream or start crying" when she discussed potential measures against Russia following the poisoning of former Soviet spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in 2018 in the English city of Salisbury. London claimed that Skripal, who defected to Britain, had been poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent by two Russian operatives, a claim which the Kremlin denied.
At the time, Mrs May urged Trump to take the lead in global action against Moscow. "No, I would rather follow than lead", Mr Trump is quoted as saying in response. According to the notes, the US president allegedly wanted a concerted effort to punish the Kremlin.
"No, all of us have to be together. Germany has to do something. You have to put together a coalition. I’m not willing for the US to go first and then have others not do anything. Germany has to do something", Trump is quoted as saying.
Other revelations made in the notes include:
- Trump asked May: "Why isn’t Boris Johnson the prime minister? Didn’t he want the job?" When May explained to him that the former London mayor had withdrawn from the race, Trump reportedly said: "Oh, so you were drafted like in baseball. But really I think you were plotting this all along".
- Trump purportedly wanted to know whether more countries would leave the European Union after the United Kingdom voted in favour of Brexit.
- He wanted to know Mrs May’s stance on abortion. "Imagine some animal with tattoos raping your daughter and then she gets pregnant", the president said, according to the notes.
- He cancelled a call with May after he was told by advisers that the prime minister wanted to express opposition to the US decision to move America’s Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
