American readers are watching Trump’s visit to the UK – but not as keenly as Brexiteers might think

The US news cycle is being dominated by a very different trade issue at the moment: Mexican tariffs

(PA)

This week, our global news teams geared up for President Trump’s visit to the UK. In the New York office we ran stories speculating about how the head of state would behave, whether he’d be happy without a full carriage procession through London, and whether he’d make a show of meeting with his old buddy Nigel Farage. The London news team then took over as soon as Air Force One landed on British soil, reporting on everything from climate change protests and the Trump baby blimp to what was said at the US ambassador’s dinner and what might have been implied by the wardrobe choices made by Donald and Melania.

When you work for a British newspaper on American soil, you can see the stark differences in what interests each set of readers. Our UK readership was justifiably incensed by Trump’s claim that even the NHS should be “on the table” for post-Brexit trade negotiations between the future prime minister and the US president. Readers also expressed a lot of interest in whether or not the “special relationship” would be preserved after the UK’s exit from the EU, and whether or not the UK government would be forced to accept things like lower animal welfare standards and chlorinated chicken in exchange for a favourable deal. On the comment desk, a lot of the British columnists wrote about these issues, as well as the intricacies of the Conservative leadership contest. The fact that Trump referred to Sadiq Khan as a “stone cold loser” and wouldn’t meet with Jeremy Corbyn made waves; so did the fact that the president expressed admiration for Boris Johnson.

The president’s visit to the UK sometimes piqued the interest of American readers, but they didn’t consume articles in the insatiable way their British counterparts did (however much they love to read about the royals). Instead, the US news cycle has been dominated by the ramifications of a very different trade matter: Mexican tariffs. These tariffs could have serious and immediate effects on states like Texas, which rely heavily on business with Mexico. They could, indeed, destabilise the entire US economy if they progress at the rate Trump has threatened. Trade with the country at their southern border is much more of a concern for people living in the US; trade with the UK is comparatively minuscule.