LONDON _ President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May expressed shared hope that the United Kingdom would eventually leave the European Union and negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the U.S.
"It should happen and it probably will happen," Trump said, claiming, as he has before, that he correctly predicted the Brexit vote in 2016 but ignoring the seemingly intractable political turmoil it continues to cause.
"This is a great country," he said. "It wants to have its own borders and run its own affairs."
Trump also raised the possibility that he might negotiate a way out of imposing tariffs on Mexico, which he threatened if that country's government didn't move to block Central American migrants from crossing its territory to reach the U.S. border.
"We are going to see if we can do something," he said, "but I think it's more likely that the tariffs go on."
His order for an initial round of 5% tariffs is set to take effect June 10, but the move has generated significant opposition from Republican members of Congress. Mexican officials have been in Washington this week meeting with administration officials and stressing that tariffs would hurt both countries' economies.
Trump scoffed at the possibility of Republicans in Congress blocking the tariffs, saying that would be "foolish."
He noted that he has "a 94% approval rating with Republicans," which drew a chuckle from May.
The warm banter between the two leaders was notable, and the news conference was tame compared with others Trump has given since taking office.
But there were several moments that might have drawn more attention with a more conventional president.
At one point, Trump appeared confused by a policy-related question _ whether a bilateral trade deal with Britain might include changes to Britain's National Health Service. Trump looked to May for help before saying generically that "everything with the trade deal is on the table."
Trump also broke with U.S. diplomatic tradition in criticizing Democrats on foreign soil, in this case over immigration. And he made several false statements, including an assertion that the protests against him in Britain were "fake news."
Trump praised May, who is set to resign as leader of the Conservative Party because she has been unable to win Parliament's support for her Brexit plan.
"I believe the prime minister has brought it to a very good point where something will take place in the very near future. The deal is teed up," Trump said, telling May: "I think you deserve a lot of credit."
In truth, May's resignation resulted from her inability to win support for her plan to leave the 28-nation EU. Considerable uncertainty remains about whether any of the candidates to replace her will be able to deliver the Brexit agreement or whether Britain will simply crash out of the EU without an agreement, a step that officials and business leaders have warned would lead to extensive disruption.
May, who blamed the Labor Party and other members of Parliament for blocking her proposal, said that leaving the EU continued to be "in the best interests" of her country.
Reminded that Trump last year said May should have followed his advice and sued the EU, she said the deal she achieved through negotiations was a good one.
"I would have sued and settled," Trump joked, noting that May is probably "a better negotiator than I am."
The lighthearted, friendly tone of the exchange belied the deep uncertainty about the U.K.'s future and its relationships with Europe and the U.S. Britain remains deeply divided over Brexit, with sentiments having hardened on both sides of the debate three years after the referendum in which voters narrowly approved quitting the EU.
In the midst of a two-month-long process to determine May's successor as Conservative leader and prime minister, Trump tried to refrain from offering a full endorsement to any candidate, but he praised Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary, as well as current Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
He had harsher words for the opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, saying he refused to meet with the Labor leader because he's been stung by the politician's criticism.
"He wanted to meet today or tomorrow, and I would not do that," Trump said. "I think that from where I come from, he is somewhat of a negative force."
He added: "I really don't like critics as much as I like people who get things done."
The 25-minute news conference, held in an ornate marbled atrium within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, just blocks from a major gathering of anti-Trump protesters, marked a return to thornier political matters a day after a largely ceremonial official state visit and dinner hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
In Parliament Square, just across from 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's residence, a few thousand protesters gathered on a cool morning around a large inflatable balloon of "Baby Trump."
A similar gathering of protesters congregated just up the street in Trafalgar Square.
Earlier in the morning, at a round-table meeting with business leaders, Trump congratulated May on her tenure as prime minister and suggested, albeit lightheartedly, that she postpone her resignation, scheduled for Friday, to hammer out what he predicted would be a "very substantial" new trade agreement between the U.S. and the U.K. that could be completed in a matter of weeks.
"I don't know exactly what your timing is, but stick around," Trump said, eliciting chuckles from some seated around a large, wooden conference table. "Let's do this deal, OK?"
May emphasized the trade relationship between the U.S. and U.K. at the outset of the morning meeting and again during the news conference.
"Trade between our nations last year was worth almost $240 billion," she said at the round table. "British companies employ a million citizens in the U.S. And every morning, a million people here in the U.K. go to work for American companies."
Optimistic rhetoric aside, a bilateral trade deal between the U.S. and Britain is only possible after the U.K. withdraws from the European Union, and even if the British complete their exit from the EU, negotiating a new deal with the U.S. could take years.
Trump reportedly spoke with Johnson by phone Tuesday morning and declined the president's offer to meet in person during his three days in London due to a scheduling conflict, according to a British news report.
Asked about that conversation, Trump said only that he knew and liked Johnson.
