DONALD Trump came to praise Theresa May but ended up burying her.

After that Sun interview when the US President gently suggested that a) the Prime Minister didn’t know how to negotiate, b) she had betrayed true Brexit, c) Boris would make a far better premier and.d) her softish withdrawal plan would “probably kill” the prospect of a US-UK trade deal, he turned up at Chequers to shower Thezza with praise

But, of course, all the gushing oratory did was underline how large a hole Mr T had pushed his host into and how difficult, if nigh impossible, it will now be for her to scramble out.

Such was the tight security around the PM’s country retreat in sun-dried Buckinghamshire that armed marksmen were everywhere; down country lanes, behind trees and on roofs. The 16th century estate was cordoned off with battalions of police being ferried up and down leafy lanes.as sniffer dogs leapt energetically in and out of nearby cottages.

Overhead was the constant whirr of helicopters, the machines flitting this way and that as expectation rose at the big D’s arrival. Then not one, not two but three distinctive-looking Osprey helicopters with their vertical rotor-blades emerged from over the horizon followed by Marine One carrying you know who.

The feral beasts of the UK and US press corps were kettled in a tent in the vegetable garden, waiting for the nod to move to the outside conference venue, which was situated with the magnificent Elizabethan manor house as the backdrop, where, of course, just a week ago Mrs M brokered her Chequers compromise.

Journalists sizzled under the unrelenting sunshine as we waited for showtime. The bid D and his host were late; perhaps they wanted the press corps to suffer in the heat. As the sweat poured down foreheads and necks, finally the PM and her guest arrived - and, yes, they held hands as they negotiated three stone steps to the podium.

After their opening statements, the questions began and we knew what was coming.

As the subject of a future trade deal and his criticisms of her Brexit policy were mentioned, the PM looked as if she was screaming inside. When he got on to praising Bozza, her eyes became fixed as she stared off into the distance.

But the President, stressing how his newspaper interview had been recorded, suggested The Sun story was “fake news” as he claimed he had not criticised his host at all. Of course, he had.

We had entered Trump World, where the reality is what the big D says it is.

Completely changing his tune, Mr T insisted it would be “absolutely possible” to do a trade deal.

In fact, he turned to Mrs M and said: "Whatever you do is OK with me. Just make sure we can trade together."

But as the PM herself underlined the prospect of an ambitious post-Brexit deal, the big D looked on with an increasingly imperious expression on his face or was it boredom. He seemed to be contemplating the 13th hole at Turnberry and whether he could avoid that big bunker again.

As he sensed the horde of sizzling journalists were not buying the ringing endorsement of his host, he turned up the volume. The press conference then became a love-in.

“This incredible woman right here is doing a fantastic job, a great job,” he declared,

He then purred: “She's a terrific woman. She's doing a terrific job. And, that Brexit is a very tough situation, that's a tough deal."

The big D claimed how he had gotten to know the PM better in the last two days than he had in the last two years; indeed, he revealed how he had had “breakfast, lunch and dinner” with her.

The special relationship, he stressed, had achieved the “highest level of special; am I allowed to go higher than that? You’re very special people, it’s a very special country and I have a relationship here; my mother was born in Scotland, so very important”.

The President also revealed how he had given his host a piece of advice, “a suggestion” on how to handle the likes of Juncker and Barnier but talked around it; not revealing what it was. But we can guess: don’t give them the £39bn and they’ll come round.

With that, it was over and the big D and Thezza left as they had arrived, hand in hand.

Minutes later all eyes were on the parched field outside the Chequers pile, which contained Marine One and its three accompanying Ospreys. Then the Beast, the President’s bullet-proof limo, slowly entered into view and made its way to his helicopter.

The big D boarded to twin salutes from US marines. The whirring rotors got faster and noisier as one by one the helicopters rose and drifted away over the horizon. Next stop Windsor for tea with HMQ. And, then, finally to Scotland, golf, and no more Brexit. Just the little matter of a summit with Vladimir Putin.

The President had insisted before he arrived in Britain that Mrs May’s Brexit plan was in “turmoil”; he’s made certain of that.