Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump said Friday he will allow his Defense Secretary James Mattis to "override" him on torture, an issue on which the two men disagree.

"I don't necessarily agree, but I would tell you that he would override because I am giving him that power," Trump said Friday during a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May. "I am going to rely on him."

Trump has in the past suggested that he would defer to Mattis, who is firmly opposed to reinstating torture, on the issue, but he appeared to go further Friday in closing the door on the issue.

Experts have repeatedly concluded that torture is not an effective means of gaining accurate information and that standard interrogation techniques that involve rapport-building are more effective.

Military leaders have also long expressed concerns that the use of torture could endanger US troops captured in foreign conflicts around the world by making enemies more likely to engage in torture practices.

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