President Trump sat down with editors and reporters from The Sun newspaper while in Brussels, ahead of his trip to London and Scotland.
What he said — or what The Sun claims he said, anyway, has set off a tsunami of criticism in England.
Trump said British Prime Minister Theresa May ignored his advice by opting to move ahead with a soft Brexit strategy. He also warned that doing so could endanger a trade deal with the United States.
“If they do a deal like that, we would be dealing with the European Union instead of dealing with the UK, so it will probably kill the deal,” he said, according to The Sun.
According to The Sun, Trump also:
- Accused EU leaders of destroying its culture and identity by allowing in millions of migrants
- Tore into London Mayor Sadiq Khan for not standing up to terrorists
- Blamed Khan for spiralling crime in the capital
- Insisted former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson would make “a great Prime Minister”
- Denied once branding Theresa May a “bossy schoolteacher”
- Maintained he would keep ties with Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin despite the Salisbury Novichok poisonings
- Demanded Britain and other Nato countries spend more on defence
- Spoke of his sadness at feeling unwelcome in the capital by anti-Trump protesters
- Claimed millions of Brits backed his policies
- Told of his pride at taking wife Melania to meet the Queen
Hours after the interviews hit newsstands, Trump said the paper omitted praise he heaped on May.
“I didn’t criticize the prime minister. I have a lot of respect for the prime minister and, unfortunately, there was a story that was done which was generally fine, but it didn’t put in what I said about the prime minister and I said tremendous things,” Trump said.
“Fortunately, we tend to record stories now so we have it for your enjoyment if you like it. We record when we deal with reporters. It is called fake news.”