Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Trump has just created a vacancy for a world leader in free trade. Step forward, Theresa May

Rather than seek to inspire or unite a country, Donald Trump’s inaugural address was a long vindictive swipe at his enemies mixed with a whinge about free trade and how America has been the loser from it. Nothing about only fearing fear itself, nothing about asking what you can do for your country rather than vice versa. Instead, a story about “carnage” caused by that big bad world. It has gotten a little too scary for America, so it’s time to retreat. “For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry,” he said. “We’ve made other countries rich while the wealth, strength and confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon. One by one, the factories have left our shores. The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and redistributed all across the world. From this day forward its going to be only America first, America first!”

There was plenty more in this vein. Set aside the fact that US job openings in manufacturing more than doubled under Obama: Trump’s election is about the return of protectionism, the US retreat from free trade – and a massive vacancy that has just been created to lead the world in this department. A vacancy that can be filled by Britain.

At the Davos summit yesterday, Theresa May delivered what was perhaps the best speech of her career making clear she wishes to apply for this vacancy. Contrast her words with Donald Trump’s:

I want to explain how, as we do so, the United Kingdom – a country that has so often been at the forefront of economic and social change – will step up to a new leadership role as the strongest and most forceful advocate for business, free markets and free trade anywhere in the world.

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