Ahead of the upcoming controversial referendum on Catalan independence, US President Donald Trump said Spain “should remain united”. He made the remarks while receiving Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy at the White House in Washington DC. The central government in Spain has staunchly opposed the vote, which was also banned by the Constitutional Court. However, the Catalan regional government is pressing ahead with it despite flaring tensions in the country. The Spanish Prime Minister branded the vote as “crazy” and “illegal” arguing that there is “no electoral committee to supervise the process”. The referendum is slated for October 1.