US President Donald Trump insisted he had a “great situation” in Ireland after being asked about his relationship with Britain in an ITV special with Piers Morgan last night.
The 71-year-old was speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in his first international TV interview since taking office.
In what was a wide-ranging discussion with Good Morning Britain host Morgan, President Trump was questioned about retweeting videos by far-right group Britain First as well as his love for Scotland – the birthplace of his late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod.
#TrumpMorgan featured two things that really make my skin crawl - Ireland being called part of Britain, and an Arsenal jersey.
— Notting Hillis (@HillisEric) January 28, 2018
Ireland is NOT British nor in the UK (Doonbeg)!!! How can such an imbecile hold so much power?
#GodHelpUs #TrumpMorgan #OneWayTicketToMars— Sharon Clarke (@sharonkclarke) January 28, 2018
So do you feel half British? “...I love Ireland”
Haha I love trump #TrumpMorgan— Quarry (@_Quarry) January 28, 2018
Asked by Morgan whether he feels “half-British”, Trump said: “I sort of do. I love the country”.
He continued: “I also have a great situation over in Ireland in Doonbeg over there. And of course Turnberry.
“I love the UK. Maybe because of my mother, who I thought was one of the great people I’ve ever known”.
Mr Trump also claimed to receive “so much fan mail” from people in the UK as he dismissed calls for protests during his upcoming state visit.
“They love my sense of security, they love what I'm saying about many different things,” he said.
"We get tremendous support from people in the UK."
Mr Trump was also quizzed over a number of other topics including his diet, climate change, gun violence in the US and his attitude towards women.
"I am for them [women] and I think a lot of them understand that. I won many categories of the female vote and people were shocked to see that as I was running against a woman.
"I think I would do even better right now. Polls are up tremendously but I think that is mainly due to the economy.
"Women have the best employment figures that they've had in years.
Ireland is not in the UK/Britain Donald ?? #TrumpMorgan
— Laura Mc Kenna (@laur_enna) January 28, 2018
It says a lot that when asked about his views on the UK, Trump bases his answer around golf clubs he owns. Of course one of them is in Ireland, but it's not clear he knows the difference. #TrumpMorgan
— Chris Humphreys (@C_J_Humphreys) January 28, 2018
Don't bring Ireland into this Donald! #TrumpMorgan
— Leanne (@leanne_oc81) January 28, 2018
“I think women really like that. I think they want to be safe at home in many different respects.”
When asked about politicians who have publically stated they do not want him to visit Britain, such as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Trump responded: “I don’t know them."
He added: “That's their problem. If they want I could very nicely stay home.
"I have a very good relationship with the Prime Minister and I think she has been doing a very good job.
“We have a very good relationship even though a lot of people think we don't. We will come to your defence if anything should happen."
