In Biden’s Oval Office, Johnson’s Brexit Promise Slips Away

U.S. president makes clear trade deal with U.K. still far off
U.K. PM tried to downplay expectations of progress during trip

Joe Biden, right, and Boris Johnson meet in the Oval Office of the White House on Sept. 21.Photographer: Al Drago/The New York Times/Bloomberg

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By Kitty Donaldson

September 22, 2021 at 12:42 AM UTC

Updated on

September 22, 2021 at 10:45 AM UTC

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Boris Johnson talked up a trade deal with the U.S. as one of the major prizes of his campaign for Brexit. Sitting in the Oval Office on Tuesday, it was clear the U.K. leader has little hope of delivering it.

“We’re going to talk a little bit about trade today and we’re going to have to work that through,” U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters at the start of his meeting with Johnson, when asked about the prospects for an agreement.