Donald Trump (Photo: Evelyn Hockstein / Reuters)
During a White House briefing on Wednesday, Mr. Trump stated that the United Kingdom would become a “truly wealthy country” if it began extracting oil, and that there are enough reserves underwater to last 700 years, according to independent.co.uk.
Pressure to end the burning of fossil fuels is mounting amid the UK’s fourth heat wave of the year, with a record number of days exceeding 35°C and an official drought affecting half the country. France and Spain have suffered from devastating wildfires during an even more intense heatwave amid the climate crisis.
The president stated that he had previously tried to persuade Sir Keir Starmer to “open up the North Sea,” but was unable to get the then-prime minister to agree.
Insisting that the UK is “full of windmills” that are manufactured in China, Trump pointed out that the UK buys oil from Norway.
Mr. Burnham and Mr. Trump spoke by phone last Monday, but oil was not mentioned in the summary of the conversation released by Downing Street.
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