British Prime Minister Theresa May said Sunday that President Trump privately suggested that she sue the European Union amid negotiations on the “Brexit” plan for the U.K. to withdraw from the EU.
“He told me I should sue the EU, not go into negotiations,” Mrs. May told the BBC in an interview released Sunday. “Actually no — we’re going into negotiations with them.”
“But interestingly, what the president also said at that press conference was ‘Don’t walk away,’” she said. “‘Don’t walk away from negotiations [because] then you’re stuck.’”
Mr. Trump said at a press conference last week he suggested that Mrs. May deploy a “brutal” Brexit regarding the EU but didn’t say what it was.
“I could fully understand why she thought it was a little bit tough. And maybe, someday, she’ll do that. If they don’t make the right deal, she might very well do what I suggested that she might want to do,” the American president said.
About two years after voters backed Brexit in a referendum, Mrs. May is still trying to work through a strategy to withdraw from the EU as she tries to hold together a fragile government coalition.
In an interview with The Sun ahead of his visit to the U.K., Mr. Trump said a tentative plan the May government was working on would “kill” hopes of bilateral trade talks between Britain and the U.S.
In a joint press conference with Mrs. May, Mr. Trump later said the U.S. would be OK with whatever Brexit deal the U..K comes up with as long as there is still hope of bilateral trade talks.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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