United States President Donald Trump on Friday said he would support whatever policy the United Kingdom chooses while exiting the European Union, hours after he told The Sun that May has wrecked the Brexit deal.

Trump, who met British Prime Minister Theresa May in Chequers, said he has asked for a fair trade deal with the US. The two leaders have agreed to pursue an ambitious trade deal after Brexit, The Guardian quoted May as saying.

Trump said the relationship between the two countries was “the highest level of special” and denied having criticised May in the interview. He incorrectly claimed that the tabloid had not published his positive comments about the British prime minister. The report was “fake news”, BBC quoted him as saying. When one of the interviewers from The Sun, who was at the press conference, told him the positive comments were there in the report, Trump noted “it was not in the headline”.

Trump claimed to have advised May on the UK’s Brexit policy. She “found it too brutal”, he added. The US president said he could see why May found the suggestion too tough but hoped that she would follow it one day. Trump called May a “tough negotiator” and a “very smart, very tough, very capable woman”.

On immigration, Trump said the influx of migrants has been “very negative” for Europe. May, however, pointed out that the UK has a “proud history” of accepting immigrants. “What matters is that you have control,” she added.