Donald Trump Slams Theresa May For Not Taking His Brexit Advice, Calls Immigration A “Shame”

On Thursday, President Donald Trump heavily criticized British Prime Minister Theresa May for her soft-line approach to Brexit, the day before the two were set to meet.

While it is common for presidents to conduct interviews with local papers, Trump’s bombshell  interview with British tabloid The Sun threatened to make the following day’s negotiations more awkward than usual.

Trump blasted the prime minister for failing to take his advice when negotiating Brexit. While the president has advocated for a more hard-line approach, he lamented that May had gone “the opposite way,” and believes the results have been “very unfortunate.”

In response to the U.K.’s plan to maintain some ties with the E.U., Trump who is a longtime critic of the union, told The Sun that “a deal like that” could threaten the long-sought bilateral trade agreement between the U.S. and U.K.

“If they do a deal like that, we would be dealing with the European Union instead of dealing with the U.K., so it will probably kill the deal,” warned Trump.

But, the president quickly changed his tune when speaking with the prime minister Friday. With regards to Brexit, Trump retreated by telling May, “I don’t know what they’re going to do, but whatever you do is O.K. with me, that’s their decision.” He also praised the prime minister, claiming that she was doing a “fantastic job” and that the relationship between the two countries was at the “highest level of special.”

The civil meeting was in stark contrast to the president’s earlier attacks in which he told The Sun that May’s deposed nemesis, former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, would “make a great prime minister” in light of his more conservative views. The president had also expressed his regret over the recent influx of migrants Europe has experienced, calling that immigration “has changed the fabric of Europe… and I don’t mean that in a positive way,” as well as critiqued London Mayor Sadiq Khan over his mishandling of the crime supposedly brought in by migrants.

“Allowing the immigration to take place in Europe is a shame,” said Trump.