US/UK relationship 'highest level of special' insists Trump
President rejects criticism of Theresa May as 'fake news'
US president Donald Trump insists the relationship between his country and the United Kingdom is "the highest level of special" after he gave a newspaper interview in which he made remarks critical of how Prime Minister Theresa May has handled the Brexit process.
Trump arrived in the UK on Thursday evening and was the guest of honor at a dinner at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, hosted by May.
But even as the meal was taking place, The Sun newspaper published an interview with him, conducted earlier this week, in which he said May's proposals for a soft Brexit would "probably kill" prospects of a post-Brexit trade agreement between the UK and US.
He also went on to speak glowingly of former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who resigned from May's cabinet earlier this week, saying he would make a "great prime minister .... I think he's got what it takes."
When the two leaders spoke to journalists on Friday afternoon, however, Trump adopted a much more conciliatory tone, insisting that he had never criticized the prime minister and that he had a "lot of respect" for her.
"I've been watching her over the last couple of days. She's a tough negotiator. She's a very very smart and determined person," he said, adding "I would much rather have her as my friend than my enemy."
CNN’s senior diplomatic correspondent Michelle Kosinski later tweeted that according to a ‘source with knowledge of the discussions’, Trump had apologized to May and seemed ‘genuinely contrite’.
He also criticized The Sun's reporting of the interview, saying it was "generally fine" but had left out his positive remarks about May, on which basis he dismissed it as "fake news", despite the newspaper having published an audio recording of the conversation.
The newspaper later issued a statement of its own, saying “to say the President called us “fake news” with any serious intent is, well…. “fake news”.”
On the subject of Brexit, Trump insisted that had not given May advice on how to handle negotiations with the European Union, just that he did "give her a suggestion," prompting May to comment that "lots of people give me advice about how to negotiate with the EU.... my job is to get out there and do it."
He also repeated his claim that he had predicted the outcome of the Brexit vote in June 2016 on a visit to Scotland to open one of his golf courses - despite journalists who attended the event confirming that it took place the day after Brexit - and he refused to take a question from a CNN journalist, calling the channel "fake news" and preferring to talk to someone from "a real network" - Fox News.
Following the news conference, Trump and his wife Melania travelled to Windsor Castle for tea with the Queen, before later flying to Scotland to stay at his Turnberry golf course
The news conference took place as tens of thousands of marchers gathered in central London in a number of different protests against Trump's visit, converging on the city's main public rallying point, Trafalgar Square.
London’s Metropolitan Police issued a warning that the Square was nearly full to capacity, asking marchers to be patient. A BBC reporter on the scene described the mood as “a good atmosphere, relaxed and fun…. A good chunk of the city has effectively been shut down.”
Earlier in the day, a huge balloon depicting the president as an angry toddler was inflated in London's Parliament Square, attracting a sizeable crowd and television crews from all around the world.
