Minister Theresa May here for our first official

visit from a foreign leader.

This is our first visit, so a great honor.

The special relationship between our two countries

has been one of the great forces in history for

justice and for peace and, by the way, my mother was

born in Scotland, Stornoway, which is

serious Scotland

Today the United States renews our deep bond with

Britain; military, financial, cultural,

and political.

We have one of the great bonds.

We pledge our lasting support to this most

special relationship.

Together America and the United Kingdom are a

beacon for prosperity and the rule of law.

That is why the United States respects the

sovereignty of the British people and their right of

self-determination.

A free and independent Britain is a blessing to

the world, and our relationship has

never been stronger.

Both America and Britain understand that

governments must be responsive to everyday

working people, that governments must represent

their own citizens.

Madam Prime Minister, we look forward to working

closely with you as we strengthen our mutual ties

in commerce, business, and foreign affairs.

Great days lie ahead for our two peoples, and our

two countries.

On behalf of our nation I thank you for

joining us here today.

It's a really great honor.

Thank you very much.

Prime Minister May: Well, thank you very much

Mr. President and can I start by saying that I'm

so pleased that I've been able to be here today, and

thank you for inviting me so soon after your

inauguration, and I'm delighted to be able to

congratulate you on what

was a stunning election victory.

And, as you say, the invitation is an

indication of the strength and importance of the

special relationship that exists between our two

countries; a relationship based on the bonds of

history, of family, kinship, and

common interests.

And in a further sign of the importance of that

relationship, I have today been able to convey her

Majesty the Queen's hope that President Trump and

the First Lady would pay a state visit to the United

Kingdom later this year, and I'm delighted that the

President has accepted that invitation.

Now today we're discussing a number of topics and

there's much on which we agree.

The President has mentioned foreign policy.

We're discussing how we can work even more closely

together in order to take on and defeat DAESH and

the ideology of Islamist

extremism wherever it's found.

Our two nations are already leading efforts to

face up to this challenge, and we're making progress

with DAESH losing territory and fighters,

but we need to redouble our efforts.

And today we're discussing how we can do this by

deepening intelligence and security cooperation, and

critically by stepping up our efforts to counter

DAESH in cyberspace because we know we will

not eradicate this threat until we defeat the idea,

the ideology that lies behind it.

Our talks will be continuing later.

I'm sure we'll discuss other topics;

Syria and Russia.

On defense and security cooperation, we're united

in our recognition of NATO as the bulwark of our

collective defense and today we've reaffirmed our

unshakable commitment to this alliance.

Mr. President, I think you said, confirmed that

you're 100 percent behind NATO, but we're also

discussing the importance of NATO continuing to

ensure it is as equipped to fight terrorism and

cyber warfare as it is to fight more conventional

forms of war, and I've agreed to continue my

efforts to continue my fellow European leaders to

deliver on their commitments to spend 2

percent of their GDP on defense so that the burden

is more fairly shared.

It's only by investing properly in our defense

that we can ensure we're properly equipped to face

our share of challenges together.

And, finally, the President and I have

mentioned future economic cooperation and trade.

Trade between our two countries is already worth

over 150,000,000,000 £ a year.

The U.S. is the

single biggest source of inward

investment in the U.K.

and together we've around $1,000,000,000,000

invested in each other's economies,

and the U.K./U.S.

defense relationship is the broadest, deepest, and

most advanced of any two countries sharing military

hardware and expertise, and I think the President

and I are ambitious to build on this relationship

in order to grow our respective economies,

provide the high skilled, high-paid jobs of the

future for working people across America

and across the U.K.

And so we are discussing how we can establish a

trade negotiation agreement, take forward

immediate high-level talks, lay the groundwork

for a U.K./U.S.

trade agreement, and identify the practical

steps we can take now in order to enable companies

in both countries to trade and do business with one

another more easily.

And I'm convinced that a trade deal

between the U.S.

and the U.K.

is in the national interest of both countries

and will cement the crucial relationship that

exists between us, particularly as the U.K.

leaves the European Union and reaches out

to the world.

Today's talks I think are a significant moment for

President Trump and I to build our relationship,

and I look forward to continuing to work with

you as we deliver on the promises of freedom and

prosperity for all the people of our

respective countries.

Thank you.

Mr. President: Thank you very much.

That was very nicely stated.

Steve Holland.

Where's Steve?

Steve, yes.

Steve Holland: Thank you, you're going to be

speaking tomorrow with the Russian President.

What message would you like to convey to him?

How close are you to lifting some of the

sanctions imposed on Russia over its

Ukraine incursion?

What would you expect in return, and Prime Minister

May, do you foresee any changes in British

attitudes toward sanctions on Russia?

Mr. President: Well, I hear a call was set up

Steve, and we'll see what happens.

As far as the sanctions, very early to be talking

about that, but we look to have a great relationship

with all countries, ideally.

That won't necessarily happen.

Unfortunately probably won't happen with many

countries, but if we can have, as we do with Prime

Minister May and the relationship that we've

all developed and even in the short relationship

that we've just developed just by being with each

other: we've had lunch and we've really had some very

interesting talks and very productive talks, but if

we can have a great relationship with Russia

and with China and with all countries,

I'm all for that.

That would be a tremendous asset.

No guarantees, but if we can, that would be a

positive, not a negative. Okay?

Prime Minister May: We have -- as far as the U.K.

is concerned on sanctions for Russia, in relation to

their activities in the Ukraine, we have been very

clear that we want to see the Minsk Agreement

fully implemented.

We believe the sanctions should continue until we

see that Minsk Agreement fully implemented, and

we've been continuing to argue that inside the

European Union. Laura.

Laura Kuenssberg: And thank you very much

Prime Minister.

Laura Kuenssberg, BBC News.

Prime Minister, you've talked about where you

agree, but you have also said you would be frank

where you disagreed with the President.

Can you tell us where in our talks you did

disagree, and do you think that the President

listened to what you had to say?

And, Mr. President, you said [laughs] --

(laughter)

-- we'll see what she says.

Mr. President, you've said before that torture works.

You've praised Russia.

You've said you wanted to ban some Muslims from

coming to America.

You've suggested there should be punishment

for abortion.

For many people in Britain those sound like

alarming beliefs.

What do you say to our viewers at home who are

worried about some of your views, and worried about

you becoming the leader of the free world?

Mr. President: This was your choice of a question?

(laughter)

There goes that relationship.

(laughter)

Prime Minister May: On the issue that you raised with

me Laura, can I confirm that the President -- I've

been listening to the President and the

President has been listening to me.

That's the point of having a conversation and a

dialogue, and we have been discussing a

number of topics.

We'll carry on after this press conference, meeting

and discussing a number of other topics, and there

will be times when we disagree and issues on

which we disagree.

The point of this special relationship is that we

are able to have that open and frank discussion.

So we are able to make that clear when it

happens, but I'm clear also that there are many

issues on which the United Kingdom and the United

States stand alongside one another; many issues on

which we agree, and I think, as I said yesterday

in my speech, that we are at a moment now when we

can build an even stronger special relationship,

which will be in the interests, not

just of the U.K.

and the United States, but actually in the interests

of the wider world as well.

Mr. President: We have a great general always just

been appointed Secretary of Defense; General James

Mattis, and he has stated publicly that he does not

necessarily believe in torture or waterboarding

or however you want to define it; enhanced

interrogation, I guess, would be a word that a lot

of -- words that a lot of people would like to use.

I don't necessarily agree, but I would tell you that

he will override because I'm giving him that power.

He's an expert.

He's highly respected.

He's the general's general; got through the

Senate very, very quickly, which in this country is

not easy I will tell you, and so I'm going

to rely on him.

I happen to feel that it does work.

I've been open about that for a long period of time,

but I am going with our leaders, and we're going

to -- we're going to win, with or without,

but I do disagree.

As far as, again, Putin and Russia: I don't say

good, bad, or indifferent.

I don't know the gentleman.

I hope we have a fantastic relationship.

That's possible, and it's also possible

that we won't.

We will see what happens.

I will be representing the American people very, very

strongly, very forcefully, and if we have a great

relationship with Russia and other countries and if

we go after ISIS together, which has to be stopped.

That's an evil that has to be stopped, I will