Donald Trump says US and UK will announce 'full and comprehensive' trade deal

With the media reporting that Britain and the United States were expected to sign a trade deal, US President Donald Trump on Thursday called a forthcoming agreement with Britain "full and comprehensive".

"The agreement with the United Kingdom is a full and comprehensive one that will cement the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for many years to come," he posted on his TruthSocial account.

“Because of our long time history and allegiance together, it is a great honor to have the United Kingdom as our FIRST announcement. Many other deals, which are in serious stages of negotiation, to follow!”

Earlier, both the New York Times and Politico had reported that the US President was set to sign a trade agreement with Britain, while the Wall Street Journal said it would be a "framework" of a deal.

According to AFP, the US President is all set to hold a press conference in the Oval Office at a 10 am (1400 GMT) where he is expected to reveal the agreement.

This is expected to be first trade agreement between US and UK since Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on US trading partners on what he called 'Liberation Day' on 2 April.

About US-UK trade agreement:

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office stated that the PM would give an 'update' about US trade talks later Thursday.

“As you know, talks with the U.S. have been ongoing and you’ll hear more from me about that later today.” Starmer said at a defense conference in London.

Earlier, Donald Trump had imposed a 10 percent tax on imports from Britain, as well as 25 percent tariffs on autos, steel and aluminum, citing this would foster more factory jobs domestically.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the US is the largest destination for British cars, accounting for more than a quarter of UK auto exports in 2024.

In the trade talks, the UK has also sought tariff exemptions for pharmaceuticals, besides reduce or lift the US import tax on UK cars and steel.

The Census Bureau data noted that the US ran a $11.9 billion trade surplus in goods with the UK in 2024. According to the data, the $68 billion in goods that the US imported from the UK in 2024 accounted for just 2% of all goods imported into the country.

With agency inputs.