With his incendiary interview and attempts to repair the damage, Donald Trump’s UK visit left a trail of havoc – and the papers try to reflect that

The Guardian focuses on Donald Trump’s attempt to clean up the mess he has created with his comments by doing what he does best – denying it: “I didn’t criticise PM. That is fake news, says Trump”.

Meanwhile, the Sun, the source of Trump’s so-called “fake news”, uses its front page to defend its scoop from the previous day. It goes with “Fake Schmooze”, and says Trump has been “forced” into a climbdown to patch things up with Theresa May. It is adamant he has not backtracked on most of what he told the paper.

The Independent also takes up the president’s attempt to go back on what he apparently told the Sun, with a somewhat tongue-in-cheek effort: “Trump’s backtrack – the ‘highest level of special’”.

The Mirror goes large with a picture of the US president posing somewhat smugly in Winston Churchill’s armchair, and asks how dare he take the distinguished seat after insulting “our country”, embarrassing “our Queen”, humiliating “our PM”. It is so incensed it uses only two-thirds of the usual ellipsis in its “How dare you ..” headline.

The Daily Mirror front page, Saturday 14 July

The Times focuses on the business side of things with, “Trump: I want trade deal”, pointing out that the president has changed tack and lavished praise on the PM.

The FT also plays up the president’s change of course, though with Brexit on its mind, saying “Trump switches tack on Brexit in bid to mend bridges with May.”



The Express returns to the hand-holding theme between these two leaders, “Hold on! I’ll give you a deal.”

The Daily Telegraph stays with Brexit but tries to turn the attention back on the prime minister, with “Revealed: advice from Trump that May ignored.”

The Daily Mail uses Trump’s wrecking-ball visit to attack Jeremy Corbyn. It contrasts “the pomp” of Trump meeting the Queen, with the Labour leader’s decision to join 100,000 protesters, calling him a “pygmy”.

And the Scotsman reminds us that the Trump storm has headed north, “to face another day of protests”.