Trump tries to dispel tension after criticism
ELLESBOROUGH, England — President Trump on Friday sought to repair his newly damaged relationship with British Prime Minister Theresa May, effusively praising her at a joint news conference after an explosive tabloid interview in which he criticized her, praised her rival and warned of an end to free trade between their countries.
The president did strongly reiterate one controversial contention from his interview Thursday with the Sun, a British tabloid owned by Trump supporter Rupert Murdoch: that immigrants were ruining Europe’s culture. May, in response, countered with the sort of defense of immigrants that used to be a hallmark of American leaders.
Trump, echoing the language of white nationalists, said of immigration: “I do not think it’s good for Europe. And I don’t think it’s good for our country.
“I know it’s politically not necessarily correct to say that, but I’ll say it and I’ll say it loud: I think they better watch themselves because you are changing culture, you are changing a lot of things. You’re changing security,” the president said as May stood by, plainly discomfited.
The prime minister in turn cited Britain’s “proud history of welcoming people who are fleeing persecution” and said of immigrants, “We’ve seen them contributing to our society and our economy.”
Trump, otherwise doing his best at damage control in the joint news conference, blamed the media for focusing on disagreements and said the Sun had not published all of his positive comments about May. “I didn’t criticize the prime minister,” he said, though the newspaper posted an audio recording.
He insisted the United States and Britain have “the highest level of special” relationship. “Am I allowed to go higher than that? I don’t know,” he said, stealing a friendly glance at May.
Their news conference, and private discussions on economic and security issues, were held at Chequers, the sprawling 16th-century manor that is the prime minister’s country retreat and the birthplace of Winston Churchill. Its location in the wooded countryside about 40 miles from London kept Trump far from protests that filled the capital’s streets for a second day — a rare demonstration against an American president. Trump and wife Melania later had tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, also outside London.
Trump’s first trip to Britain had been repeatedly delayed and was downgraded from a formal state visit, in part because of tensions he’d provoked in the past and the threat of mass protests. He gave the interview that roiled his arrival on Thursday before leaving Brussels, where he’d upended the annual NATO summit with harsh criticisms of allies, especially Germany and its chancellor, Angela Merkel.
In the tabloid interview, Trump also trashed London Mayor Sadiq Khan, a Muslim who has criticized the president, as being soft on crime and terrorists, and lamented the protests against him. But it was his unabashed intervention into an ally’s domestic politics that so violated precedent and the traditional deference shown by presidents to their counterparts abroad.
The news conference was dominated by questions about his interview with the Sun, leaving both leaders defensive and sometimes irritated. The first questioner, a British reporter for the BBC, asked Trump of his published remarks, “Is that really the behavior of a friend?”