Trump cancels private meeting with UK PM May

May’s office confirmed on Monday that there will be no one-on-one meeting between her and Trump although dismissing claims that it was the White House had cancelled the meeting which had been mentioned in a schedule circulating among journalists when Trump arrived in the UK earlier in the day.

A May spokesman said it was not unusual for the two leaders not to have a private meeting. He said May will only accompany Trump in a tour of a war museum in London on Tuesday.

“This is how discussions take place with any leader – there’s nothing unusual ... I would expect there to be discussions between them,” said the official.

The statement comes against the backdrop of reports suggesting Trump has been willing to find time during his trip to London to meet Johnson, the top contender to replace May after she announced she would resign on June 7.

The reports said Trump views May as a lame duck leader who is about to leave office and prefers a meeting with Johnson to enable the former foreign minister to open his way to Number 10 Downing Street. That comes as May was the first foreign leader to travel to the United States to meet Trump after he took office in early 2017.

Trump arrived in the UK on Monday where he was greeted by the British queen and other members of the royal family.

The trip is facing an unprecedented criticism from people and politicians in the UK who believe the “divisive” figure should not be welcome in the country.