The US President arrived in London to protests, and large demonstrations are being carried out country-wide on Friday.
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But standing alongside Mrs May after the meeting at her country residence, Mr Trump praised her as an “incredible woman” and a “very tough negotiator” who was “doing a fantastic job”, and said there could be a “great” trade deal between the United States and UK.
Trump and his wife Melania were welcomed by May and her husband Philip at Blenheim Palace – the birthplace of Winston Churchill – on Thusrday for a banquet with 150 guests.
“He is thankful for the wonderful welcome from the prime minister here in the United Kingdom”.
No deal with the USA can be signed until after next March 29, when the U.K.is to formally leave the EU.
Trump said that the “special relationship” between the two countries is “a bond that is like no other”.
The timing of the comments added to the awkwardness.
“I didn’t criticize the prime minister”.
Trump had suggested in the interview that the recently departed foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, would make a good prime minister and that the current Brexit framework would prevent a US-UK trade deal.
Asked about Johnson’s comments at a private dinner two weeks ago that Trump “would go in bloody hard” if he was handling Brexit, the President said: “He is right”.
“I would have done it much differently”.
“I must say, I’ve gotten to know Theresa May much better over the last two days than I’ve known her over the previous year and a half…”
“I can fully understand why she thought it was a little bit tough and maybe someday she will do that”.
And he went out of his way to talk up one of her main rivals, Boris Johnson, who resigned earlier this week as foreign secretary. And that is fine.
But many Brexit supporters have cast May’s negotiation as a betrayal, including lawmakers in her own deeply divided party, who have warned May might face a leadership challenge.
The President said the newspaper did not include the “tremendous things” he said about Ms May in the interview.
During a joint news conference with Ms May, Mr Trump said he had “a lot of respect for the Prime Minister”.
“I think she’s a terrific woman”.
“I think he has not been hospitable to a government that is very important”. “I think it changed the fabric of Europe and, unless you act very quickly, it’s never going to be what it was, and I don’t mean that in a positive way”. Trump also said, “The deal she is striking is a much different deal than the one the people voted on”.
“This is what people need to be doing – to come together in their communities to organize and work out how to stand against right-wing populism and xenophobia that we’re seeing not just in the USA but in Europe”, organizer Kevin Smith told The Associated Press.
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“All of you remember”, he said to reporters. Barriers where they won’t to take our farm products, they won’t to take many of our things, including our cars.
