Donald Trump says his Brexit advice to Theresa May was 'too tough' for her

President rows back from explosive critique of May's Brexit strategy, saying she's a 'tough negotiator'

Donald Trump has claimed his suggestion for how to deliver Brexit was “too tough” for Theresa May - but she might have to take his advice if her plans failed.

The US president insisted he had given Ms May a “suggestion” on how to conduct the negotiations, but he refused to clarify further what his advice had been.

In a rambling hour-long press conference at Chequers, Mr Trump rowed back from his explosive critique of the prime minister’s Brexit strategy, claiming Ms May was a “tough negotiator” who was “doing a terrific job”.

The carefully-planned visit was almost derailed when Mr Trump gave an incendiary interview to The Sun ahead of his arrival, where he tore into the PM's Brexit plan and said Boris Johnson would be a good prime minister - days after the ex-foreign secretary resigned from the cabinet over his opposition to Ms May’s new approach.

In a major blow to Ms May, the president also said her new approach would “probably kill” any hopes of a lucrative trade deal with the US, a prospect that is highly coveted by Brexiteers.

It comes as the prime minister faced discontent from her own MPs, with Tory backbenchers preparing to mount a show of strength in parliament on Monday that could potentially kill off her new blueprint.

After hours of talks at her country treat, Mr Trump offered the PM an olive branch by praising the UK-US relationship as "the highest level of special" and claiming reports of his earlier comments were "fake news".

Pressed on the advice he claimed to give Ms May on Brexit, the president told reporters: “I think she found it maybe too brutal - and that's ok, I can see that - I gave her a suggestion, not advice.

"I could fully understand why she thought it was a little bit tough.

“Maybe someday she will do that, if they don’t make the right deal, she might very well do what I suggested that she might want to do but it is not an easy thing.

“Look at the United States, how the EU has systematically taken advantage of the US on trade. It’s a disgrace. So it’s not an easy negotiation.”

Asked if he would walk away from the talks if they went badly, he said: "No, you can't walk away. If she walks away it means she's stuck.

"You can't walk away. But you can do other things. She can do what my suggestion was."

He described Ms May as a "tough negotiator" and a "very, very smart and determined person", adding: "A lot of people are looking up now, saying 'Gee whiz'. She left a lot of people in her wake.

"I'd much rather have her as my friend than my enemy."

The row began just as the prime minister rolled out the red carpet for Mr Trump on Thursday night, with a black tie dinner at Blenheim Palace, the former home of Winston Churchill, whom the president is known to admire.

The president appeared to row back from his sensational intervention on Friday, insisting that the pair had "probably never developed a better relationship" than during the dinner on Thursday.

Both leaders were due to continue talks over a working lunch of Dover Sole, Chiltern Lamb and Meringue Pie at Chequers, before Mr Trump heads to Windsor to meet the Queen.

He will then fly up to Scotland for the private section of his weekend, where he is expected to face waves of protest as he makes his way to the Turnberry golf course in Ayrshire.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in London to demonstrate against the president's visit, and Parliament Square was filled by demonstrators flying an orange “Trump baby” blimp.