(CNN) President Donald Trump almost never apologizes, which makes his comment that he had tried to apologize to Theresa May, albeit without admitting he did anything wrong and wrapped in a shot at the press, so interesting.

Standing next to May during a joint news conference at the British Prime Minister's official country house, Chequers, Trump announced he had at least started to apologize earlier in the morning. Why the drastic step? At issue is an interview in the tabloid Sun newspaper in which he was critical of May on Brexit and for not taking his advice (otherwise she'd be better off, he suggested in the interview). He also said she "wrecked" Brexit, which he supports.

The newspaper interview dropped on the same night May honored him at a black-tie dinner at Winston Churchill's ancestral home. It was led to an extremely awkward situation, since the two were slated for meetings and the joint press conference after he criticized her and praised her political rival and former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who Trump said would be good at May's job.

That's what it takes to get an apology from Trump, apparently.

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