Jan. 27 (UPI) -- With her arrival in Washington on Friday, British Prime Minister Theresa May becomes the first foreign leader to visit the White House since Donald Trump was sworn in as president.
May and Trump are scheduled to meet privately before addressing a joint press conference in the East Room. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Trump will take questions from the media for the first time since the inauguration on Friday.
While there is plenty to talk about in the "special relationship" between the United States and Britain, Trump is also likely to face a range of questions about actions taken during his first week in office. Trump has signed executive actions beginning the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, paving the way for the accelerated deportation of undocumented immigrants and freezing federal hiring and wages, among numerous other actions.
Trump and May, also a conservative, find themselves in similar situations domestically, as well, riding a rising populist tide. Though May opposed Britain's exit from the European Union as home secretary, she rose to the prime minister job after her former boss, David Cameron resigned following the surprising outcome of the Brexit vote. May's job since taking over has largely been to ensure as smooth a transition as possible out of the European Union.
The press conference is scheduled to being at 1 p.m. EST.
