US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May are meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Trump said there was "a false rumor," out there that he was not on the same wavelength as the British leader. (Jan. 25) AP
DAVOS, Switzerland — The British government said Thursday that President Trump will visit the United Kingdom later this year.
British Prime Minister Theresa May and Trump concluded a meeting at the World Economic Forum by asking officials to finalize details of the U.S. president's visit in 2018.
Never mind that there have been a series of rifts between Trump and British leaders. As far as he is concerned, talk of any tension is a "false rumor."
"We’re on the same wavelength in, I think, in every respect," Trump said. He said the two leaders "liked each other a lot" and the United States and United Kingdom are "joined at the hip" on mutual military defense.
May also addressed the dynamic between the two countries, but was generally less enthusiastic, and impersonal, in her description of her relationship with Trump.
“We, too, have that really special relationship between the U.K. and the United States,” May said. “It’s at each other’s shoulders. We face the same challenges across the world, and as you say we’re willing to go and to defeat those challenges and meet them.”
Trump and May were also expected to discuss North Korea's nuclear weapons program, the conflict in Syria and Iran's nuclear deal during their meeting.
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Although the two countries have long enjoyed what they call a "special relationship," Trump and May have repeatedly clashed since he became president a year ago. Among the examples:
• Trump this month canceled a planned trip to London for the opening of the new U.S. Embassy because he described the new building as a "bad deal." A poll last year found that 4% of Britain's population — roughly 2.5 million people — would protest a state visit by Trump.
"Reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for 'peanuts,' only to build a new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars," Trump tweeted. "Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO!"
The decision to build the new embassy was actually done in 2006 under President George W. Bush — not President Barack Obama — and the new location chosen in 2008, according to the State Department and the U.S. Embassy.
More: New $1 billion U.S. Embassy in Britain: Things to know
• London Mayor Sadiq Khan and May slammed Trump in November for retweeting anti-Muslim propaganda from a British far-right party. Khan, a Muslim, called Britain First, the far-right party that Trump retweeted, "a vile, extremist group that exists solely to sow division and hatred in our country."
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Trump took aim at May following her disapproval in a statement, tweeting: "@Theresa_May, don't focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!"
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