Trump praises Brexit after meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May

President Trump applauded Brexit during his joint press conference Friday with British Prime Minister Theresa May, following their meeting at the White House. He predicted Brexit would be "a wonderful thing" for Britain because "you're going to have the people you want in your country," and he vowed that "today the U.S. renews our deep bond with Britain."

May later announced that Trump has accepted a state visit invitation from the Queen for later this year, and she also said Trump has indicated he is "100 percent behind NATO." "I'm delighted to be able to congratulate you on what was a stunning election victory," she said.

During the question-and-answer portion of the press conference, Trump was asked about his scheduled Saturday phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump said he's had "many times where I thought I'd get along with people and I don't like them at all," apparently implying this could happen with Putin, and he also said it's "very early" to be talking about whether his administration will drop the U.S. sanctions on Russia. He also reiterated his belief that torture is effective, though he said he would defer to Defense Secretary James Mattis, who has stated his opposition to the tactics.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

May was the first world leader Trump has hosted since taking office last week. He was scheduled to meet with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto next Tuesday, but Peña Nieto canceled after Trump expedited plans to build a Mexico border wall.