President Donald Trump walked back his denunciation of British Prime Minister Theresa May, even denying that he had ever criticized her in the first place. | Stefan Rousseau/WPA/Getty Images Trump says he wants May as a friend, not an enemy

President Donald Trump would prefer U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May be “my friend than my enemy,” he said Friday, a day after publicly undercutting her in a bombshell interview.

"She is a tough negotiator, and a very smart and determined person," he said at a joint news conference with May. "She is a very smart, very tough, very capable person, and I would much rather have her as my friend than my enemy, that I can tell you."


Trump was responding to a question on how he would approach Brexit, a topic he criticized May over in an interview with The Sun. That report, which was published Thursday as the president was attending a gala that May threw in his honor, contained the accusation that May's plan would "kill" the nation's chances of a bilateral trade deal with the U.S.

"As far as negotiating the deal, I probably would have done what my suggestion was to the prime minister," Trump said Friday. "She can do what my suggestion was, and my suggestion was respectfully submitted."

At the same news conference, however, Trump walked back his denunciation of May, even denying that he had ever criticized her in the first place.

The current relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. is "the highest level of special," he said, and complained that he wasn’t quoted saying "tremendous things" about May.

“I didn’t criticize the prime minister,” the president said. “I have a lot of respect for the prime minister.”

He then went on to express his support for whatever action May chose to take.

"I don’t know what they’re going to do, but whatever you do is OK with me,” Trump said. “That’s their decision.”