FREE now SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Make the most of your money by signing up to our newsletter fornow We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Backtracking on his previous opposition to negotiating with the crumbling Brussels bloc, the President softened his stance after individual EU member states rejected attempts by his officials to start talks on separate trade agreements.



According to the Times, German chancellor Angela Merkel managed to convince Trump at a private dinner last month that striking a deal between the US and EU would be simpler than he thought.

A senior German politician told the newspaper: “Ten times Trump asked her if he could negotiate a trade deal with Germany.



“Every time she replied with: ‘You can’t do a trade deal with Germany, only the EU.’



“On the element refusal, Trump finally got the message: ‘Oh, we’ll do a deal with Europe then.’”





GETTY The move comes after Merkel convinced Trump it would be easy to strike a deal with the EU

Live from 10 Downing Street: Theresa May calls snap general election Tue, April 18, 2017 Theresa May has made the announcement to call for an early general election to be held on June 8 2017 Play slideshow REUTERS 1 of 8 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks to the media outside 10 Downing Street, in central London

GETTY Boris Johnson said in January Britain would be "first in line" for a trade deal with the US

But this “realisation” led the Trump administration to believe a trade deal with the EU would be more important to US interests than a post-Brexit deal with Britain, according to a top White House official.



The news comes in stark contrast to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s claims in January, where after meeting Trump’s advisers claimed Britain would be “first in line” for a trade deal.



The EU is America’s biggest trading partner, with US exports to the bloc last year worth $270billion, and imports worth $417billion.

GETTY The Prime Minister met with Trump earlier this year to moot a possible trade deal

Snap election 2017: The pictures politicians may not want you to see Sat, May 27, 2017 Protests, fights and daleks, it all happened when the politicians hit the campaign trail for the snap election Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 48 A UK Independence Party supporter (L) scuffles with a pro-europe supporter ahead of a visit by UKIP leader Paul Nuttall to Hartlepool