Donald Trump: UK is in turmoil

Donald Trump has said the UK is in “turmoil” and suggested his meeting with Vladimir Putin may be “the easiest” out of a list of coming engagements, which will kick off with the Nato summit tomorrow.

Speaking to journalists in front of the White House before getting onto Marine One, his official helicopter, en route to Belgium for the summit, the US President said he hoped to meet the former foreign secretary Boris Johnson – who is “a friend of mine”, adding the UK “certainly have a lot of things going on”.

Trump said:

The UK, that’s a situation that’s been going on for a long time. I have Nato, I have the UK, which is in somewhat turmoil, and I have Putin. Frankly, Putin may be the easiest of them all, who would think? Who would think? But the UK certainly – they certainly have a lot of things going on.

Trump added: “Boris Johnson is a friend of mine, he’s been very, very nice to me, very supportive. And I maybe will speak to him when I get over there. I like Boris Johnson, I’ve always liked him.”

Johnson quit yesterday over Theresa May’s Chequers plan, which he claimed would make the UK “a colony”. In his resignation letter, the former Cabinet minister claimed the Brexit “dream is dying”.

His departure followed that of Brexit secretary David Davis and Brexit minister Steve Baker, who also quit over the policy.

Trump is due to come to the UK for his first official visit on Friday, which will include a meeting with the Queen. He is also scheduled for “substantive” talks with Theresa May, which it is hoped will include trade.

However yesterday the US ambassador Woody Johnson warned that a deal was now “up in the air” on the back of the Chequers.

Trump said he had not spoken with May since the resignations. Asked whether she should remain in power, he said: “That’s up to the people. I get along with her very well, I have a very good relationship. [But] that’s certainly up to the people, not up to me.”