May’s mission to woo Trump a success, but makes some uneasy
WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Theresa May went to Washington, and President Donald Trump extended the hand of friendship. Literally.
May left Washington after a 24-hour visit as Saturday’s British newspapers splashed front-page photos of the two leaders touching hands as they walked at the White House before a strikingly collegial news conference.
May wanted her meeting, Trump’s first as president with a foreign leader, to revitalize the trans-Atlantic “special relationship.” She got her wish — delighting those who think Trump’s presidency will be good for Britain but alarming others who loathe the brash Republican populist.
She flew home — after a stop in Turkey Saturday to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — with Trump’s commitment not to abandon NATO, his praise for what he called “this most special relationship” and — a prize she had eagerly sought — the first steps toward an early trade deal with Britain once it leaves the European Union.