WATCH Theresa May: Donald Trump told me to sue the EU
2 min read
Theresa May has revealed that Donald Trump advised her to "sue the EU" over Brexit.
The US President caused a major diplomatic row when he told The Sun on the eve of a meeting with the Prime Minister that her Brexit plans would "kill" hopes of a trade deal with the United States.
He said: "I would have done it much differently. I actually told Theresa May how to do it but she didn’t agree, she didn’t listen to me."
The controversial commander-in-chief later rowed back from the comments, accusing the Sun of "fake news" and insisting a deal could still go ahead. But he stopped short of revealing his advice to the Prime Minister, saying only that Mrs May "found it too brutal".
Pressed to reveal what President Trump had told her on the Andrew Marr Show this morning, Mrs May said: “He told me I should sue the EU…
"Sue the EU, not go into negotiations – sue them."
She added: "Interestingly, what the President also said at that press conference was ‘don’t walk away, don’t walk away from the negotiations because then you’re stuck’."
There was further controvery during President Trump's visit as he took Mrs May’s hand while the pair ascended stairs at Blenheim Palace. The move echoed a similar hand-holding episode at the White House last year.
But the Prime Minister today dismissed suggestions that the embrace had made her look submissive, saying: "What you notice is that whenever he takes me down a slope or stairs and he did it up the stairs at Blenheim Palace, he takes my hand to help in going up the steps."
Challenged on Mr Trump’s string of controversial comments about women, Mrs May said: "I have made clear in the past about my views on the attitude to women… I’m very clear about the way women should be treated and the respect that women should be given.
"I was sitting down as a female leader with the President of the United States talking about issues that are of great importance to the people of the US, the people of the UK, but also actually of great importance around the world."
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