'What's Brexit?' Nearly HALF of Americans don't know – SHOCK poll
ALMOST half of Americans don’t even know what Brexit is – while even more have never heard of British Prime Minister Theresa May, a new survey has indicated.
The poll, undertaken by betting aggregate website Bookmakers.tv, has suggested that in sharp contrast to the UK's blanket coverage across the Atlantic the drama has made precious little impact. Donald Trump has spoken up on the issue on a number of occasions, and the US President most recently said Mrs May’s withdrawal agreement – which goes before the House of Commons on Tuesday – “sounds like a great deal for the EU”. But unlike many of the outspoken billionaire’s public statements, his words seem to have gone largely unnoticed in his own country.
A staggering 45.5 percent of Americans said they had no idea what was even meant by the word Brexit, and another nine percent “didn’t care”.
Among those Americans who did understand what Brexit meant, 14.3 percent thought it would be “a good thing”, while 10.2 percent disagreed.
However, when it came to Mrs May herself, she was even less well-known than Brexit.
When asked whether they thought she would make a good US President, 48.3 percent of those surveyed did not even know who she was.
Britain might be famed stateside for the Royal Family, tea and bad weather, but our political turmoil clearly does not register with your everyday American
Another 38.2 percent said no, while just 10.2 percent agreed.
Philip Trampe of Bookmakers.tv said: "There is a lot of talk about the strengthening of the Special Relationship post-Brexit, but this poll well and truly bursts that bubble.
"Britain might be famed stateside for the Royal Family, tea and bad weather, but our political turmoil clearly does not register with your everyday American.
"Prime Minister Theresa May is keen to be seen as a powerful world leader as the UK goes it alone.
“But seeing how few people in the planet’s most powerful nation even recognise her, she may have to rethink her status.
"And it gets worse as for those who are familiar with the Tory leader, it looks like she’s just as unpopular Stateside as she is on our shores.”
Speaking during his visit to the UK last July, The Sun published an interview with Mr Trump in which he described Mrs May’s plans for Brexit as “not what the people voted on”.
He added: “I actually told Theresa May how to do it, but she didn’t listen to me.
Trump: Brexit sounds like a great deal for the EU
“She wanted to go a different route.”
He also lavished praise on Boris Johnson, widely seen as a contender to replace her in Number 10, as a “very talented guy” who would be a “great Prime Minister.”
He has also suggested any regulatory alignment with the EU would make it difficult to strike a trade deal with the US, a sentiment echoed by US ambassador to Britain Woody Johnson last month.
The survey by Bookmakers.tv was conducted among 2,000 people in New York and Pennsylvania in December, 2018.