A deal would be a positive sign for both governments, which have eyed an agreement since President Trump’s first term.
President Trump is expected to announce on Thursday that the United States will strike a “comprehensive” trade agreement with Britain.
Hours after teasing that an agreement would soon be announced, Mr. Trump said in a social media post that a deal had been reached that would “cement the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for many years to come.”
“Because of our long time history and allegiance together, it is a great honor to have the United Kingdom as our FIRST announcement,” he wrote. “Many other deals, which are in serious stages of negotiation, to follow!”
Mr. Trump is expected to announce the deal from the Oval Office later Thursday.
The president had not specified which nation would part of the deal in his post late Wednesday night. On Thursday, a senior British official confirmed that a deal with the United States had been reached.
The British official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, did not offer details, beyond saying that the deal would be good for both Britain and the United States.
The agreement would be the first deal announced since Mr. Trump imposed stiff tariffs on dozens of America’s trading partners. He later paused those temporarily in order to allow other nations to reach agreements with the United States.