Donald Trump Says Britain Would Be Better off Without the EU

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Thursday he thought Britain would be better off out of the European Union with just over a month before the "in or out" referedndum is held.

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"I think the migration has been a horrible thing for Europe. A lot of that was pushed by the EU," Trump said in an interview with Fox News.

"I know Great Britain very well, I know the country very well, I have a lot of investments there.

"I would say that they're better off without it personally, but I'm not making that as a recommendation - just my feeling ... I would say that they're better off without it, but I want them to make their own decision," he added.

The New York real estate tycoon's comments are at a stark contrast to comments from President Barack Obama during a recent trip to the U.K.

Speaking on April 22, Obama urged Britain to remain in the European Union, saying membership had magnified Britain's place in the world and made the bloc stronger and more outward looking.

"The European Union doesn't moderate British influence - it magnifies it," he wrote in an article placed on page 20 of the eurosceptic Daily Telegraph newspaper under the headline. "As your friend, I tell you that the EU makes Britain even greater."

"The United States sees how your powerful voice in Europe ensures that Europe takes a strong stance in the world, and keeps the EU open, outward looking, and closely linked to its allies on the other side of the Atlantic."

Earlier this week, Trump criticised Obama for supporting British Prime Minister David Cameron in his campaign for Britain to remain in the EU.

"I didn't think it was a good thing for him to do it," he said.

The British electorate will decide in a June 23 referendum whether to stay or the leave the European Union. The U.K. joined the precursor to EU, the European Economic Community (the Common Market), in 1973.