President Donald Trump rowed back Wednesday on his comments that Britain's much-loved national health service should be opened up to US private companies in a post-Brexit trade deal.
The mercurial US leader also softened his tone on UK Labour opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn and actress-turned-British princess Meghan Markle.
Trump sparked outrage across Britain's political divide by telling a joint press conference with Prime Minister Theresa May that "everything is on the table" in talks on a post-Brexit US-UK free trade deal -- including the NHS health service.
"So NHS or anything else. A lot more than that," Trump said on the second of his three-day state visit Tuesday.
Britons treasure their free health care system and fear its partial privatisation. Some suggest that US pharmaceutical companies would hike the price of medications and other basic services.
Trump was asked specifically about the NHS at the press event and appeared to ask May what the acronym stood for before responding.
He told ITV television in an interview aired on Wednesday that he did not mean that the UK health system would be up for negotiations in the talks.
"I don't see it being on the table," Trump told ITV.
"Somebody asked me a question today and I say 'everything's up for negotiation' because everything is, but that's something that I would not consider part of trade."
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