Donald Trump has defended the wife of a US diplomat who allegedly killed a British teenager in a car crash by saying it is hard to drive on the other side of the road.
Trump acknowledged that 'a tragedy occurred' and described suspect Anne Sacoolas - who he did not name - as 'driving on the wrong side of the road,' then suggested he had done the same too in the UK, where he has two golf courses.
'Those are the opposite roads. That can happen,' Trump said. 'I won't say it ever happened to me, but it did. When you get used to driving on our system and you're all of a sudden on the other system, where you're driving, it happens. You have to be careful.'
Trump on Wednesday publicly rebuffed a plea from Prime Minister Boris Johnson to waive diplomatic immunity for Sacoolas who is suspected of killing Harry Dunn, 19, and instead suggested the victim's family meet her for 'some healing'.
Dunn was killed when his motorbike crashed into a car on August 27 and Sacoolas, 42, who is married to a US intelligence official, fled to the US despite telling police she would not do so.
Dunn's family has been desperately trying to ensure Sacoolas returns to the UK to participate in the police investigation, and this evening Mr Johnson urged the President to help ensure her diplomatic immunity is waived - but was embarrassingly rebuffed by Trump minutes later.
It has been suggested that the vehicle which hit Harry had been travelling on the wrong side of the road after pulling out from RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire.
But Trump, speaking publicly for the first time about the case, made no commitment to send Sacoolas back to the UK - instead suggesting that he himself had driven on the wrong side of the road, adding: 'That can happen'.
The discussion between the two leaders came after Harry's family, from Oxfordshire, met with British foreign secretary Dominic Raab this afternoon, but slammed the meeting as a 'publicity stunt' that left them 'angry and frustrated'.
In his phone call with the President, Mr Johnson personally asked Mr Trump to 'reconsider the US position' to grant immunity to Sacoolas.
Trump called it 'a very complex issue', adding: 'We are going to speak to her very shortly and do something where they meet.
'We are going to speak to her and see if we can come up with something so there is some healing.'
Trump added that there was 'tremendous anger' over the case, and he understood why that was. He acknowledged that US public opinion was also likely to be in favour of Sacoolas being stripped of diplomatic immunity.
'I understand where the people from the UK [feel], and frankly a lot of Americans feel the same way,' he said.
But he said: 'The person that was driving the automobile has diplomatic immunity.
'It was an accident. It was a terrible accident.'
A Downing Street spokesman revealed conversations between the Prime Minister and Trump have taken place.
He said: 'The two leaders discussed the tragic death of Harry Dunn.
'The Prime Minister urged the President to reconsider the US position so the individual involved can return to the UK, co-operate with police and allow Harry's family to receive justice.
'The President said he was fully aware of the case and deeply saddened by what has happened, and he expressed his condolences to Harry's parents.
'The leaders agreed to work together to find a way forward as soon as possible.'
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