U.S. President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May hold a joint news conference in London, Britain, June 4, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC1A914B3310

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May probably has not got the credit she deserved for negotiating a Brexit deal with the European Union, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, after May joked about Trump’s advice on the topic.

“The president (last year) suggested that I sued the European Union, which we didn’t do,” May said. “We went into negotiations and we came out with a good deal,” she told reporters in a joint news conference with Trump during his state visit to Britain.

Trump praised May’s November deal with Brussels, which British lawmakers voted down three times in parliament earlier this year.

“I would have sued, but that’s OK,” he smiled. “I would have sued and settled, maybe, but you never know - she’s probably a better negotiator than I am.

He added: “Perhaps you won’t be given the credit you deserve if they do something, but I think you deserve a lot of credit, I really do.”