Former White House strategist also said the UK ‘absolutely’ would get a trade deal with the US after Brexit.
Emmanuel Macron's background as a banker is part of why he and U.S. President Donald Trump have a "special relationship," according to former White House strategist Steve Bannon.
"You've got to remember, Macron was a [Rothschild & Cie Banque] banker, so he knows how to focus on a client," Bannon told the BBC's Newsnight, according to a clip of the interview set to air on Wednesday night. "He's done a very good job of building a personal relationship with President Trump, President Trump likes him a lot. And by the way, they had a great time in the United States and then Macron goes to Congress and basically dumps all over the populist, nationalist movement."
When asked about Trump's relationship with the French president in comparison to his relations with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Bannon said "it's not that he doesn't have a relationship, he very much loves the United Kingdom," adding that Trump has Scottish heritage and built a golf course there.
Bannon also said the U.S. will "absolutely" make a trade deal with the U.K. after Brexit, and that as soon as they are able to hold negotiations, he expects Trump to make a deal very quickly.
"I don't think there's any doubt that the United Kingdom will get a trade deal, and get a trade deal that's a fair trade deal between two partners," Bannon said.
Bannon also praised Trump's policies, saying that under Trump, the country has seen its lowest black unemployment rate "in history" and "the lowest Hispanic unemployment rate in 25 years." He added that "anybody" would be proud of this.
"Martin Luther King would be proud of him, of what he's done for the black and Hispanic communities for jobs," Bannon said.