In a series of explosive tweets Donald Trump has escalated the transatlantic war of words by telling Theresa May she has made a ‘mess’ of Brexit and that it was ‘good news’ she was being replaced.
He said his administration would no longer deal with the ambassador, Sir Kim Darroch, after the leak of the his advice describing the Trump administration as “inept”.
Trump said: “I have been very critical about the way the UK and Prime Minister Theresa May handled Brexit.”
“What a mess she and her representatives have created. I told her how it should be done, but she decided to go another way.
“I do not know the ambassador, but he is not liked or well thought of within the US. We will no longer deal with him.
“The good news for the wonderful United Kingdom is that they will soon have a new Prime Minister.
“While I thoroughly enjoyed the magnificent state visit last month, it was the Queen who I was most impressed with!”
Trump’s outspoken attack – the most strident public criticism of a British prime minister by a US president in decades – will alarm and dismay Downing Street.
It comes just a month after the government rolled out the red carpet for the president for a state visit in which he praised the enduring strength of the “special relationship”.
A government spokesman said: “We have made clear to the US how unfortunate this leak is. The selective extracts leaked do not reflect the closeness of, and the esteem in which we hold, the relationship.
“At the same time we have also underlined the importance of ambassadors being able to provide honest, unvarnished assessments of the politics in their country.
“Sir Kim Darroch continues to have the Prime Minister’s full support.
“The UK has a special and enduring relationship with the US based on our long history and commitment to shared values and that will continue to be the case.”
In the memos, obtained by the Mail on Sunday, Sir Kim suggested that in order to communicate with the president “you need to make your points simple, even blunt”.
In a scathing assessment of the White House, he said: “We don’t really believe this administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept.”
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