Behind the braggadocio, the hyperbole and the over the top salesmanship of Donald Trump, there lurks a President who is intensely concerned about his declining popularity and falling ratings.
He is incredibly thin-skinned and needed to do something to dispel the growing idea that he is – the very worst thing in the world, in his imagination – a loser.
The truth is that, after unleashing his trade war chaos only a few weeks ago, and then retreating while insisting on victory, Trump badly needed a success on trade.
It doesn’t sit well with his self image as a master negotiator and brilliant deal maker to have caused uncertainly in the markets, and not to secure deals, the “best deals”, for the US.
The trade deal with the UK represents such a success.
Trump wants to project an image of strength, at least to give the impression that he is in command of any given situation.
For a man who describes himself as an “expert” deal maker, who wrote “the art of the deal” after all, any trade agreement with the UK is a significant win.
The UK is a “big, highly respected” country. For Trump, who is half Scottish and owns the Turnberry Golf course in that country, the UK may well be a big deal.
More pertinently, the TV addict President knows that his approval ratings are plunging to depths that are almost unprecedented so early in a presidential term.
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A CNN poll showed that Trump had a 41 per cent approval rating after his first 100 days in office, this time around. Another poll from the network ABC revealed that Trump had a 39 per cent approval rating.
These networks have been consistently hostile to Trump but he sees the news. Watching TV is the most consistent thing he does. Everyday he watches the box, so we understand, for hours, first thing in the morning.
There never was a US President more obsessed with television than Donald Trump. His world has been defined by television. He was, as we all know, a reality TV star before he entered the political arena.
His fascination with sports such as boxing, American football and, latterly, ultimate fighting is tied up with his love of TV and his fixation with ratings and winning.
He therefore understands the message that he has probably not handled his first 100 days to everybody’s universal satisfaction. Indeed, these scores are by quite some way the worst approval ratings of any post-war US President after their first 100 days.
The tariff chaos has had its toll and, even if President Trump feels it was worth it in the long run, he needs quick wins.
He needs to convince his base, at the very least, that there is method in the seeming madness, that there is some plan in place to deliver on his promise of making America “great again”.
For this the UK serves a great purpose. Most Americans have at least heard of the UK. Some of Trump’s Maga base, a minority but a significant number of them, venerate Sir Winston Churchill.
A deal with the UK can, for the time being, provide a convenient fig leaf for an otherwise naked Emperor.
Kwasi Kwarteng is a former Conservative MP. He served as chancellor between September and October 2022 under Liz Truss.
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