WASHINGTON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday questioned Britain's handling of the Brexit while voicing his anticipation of a big trade deal with the country in the future.

"I'm surprised how badly it's all gone from the standpoint of the negotiation," Trump told reporters at the White House during his meeting with visiting Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

"There was no reason for that to happen. They could have had the vote and it should have gone smoothly," the president added.

Meanwhile, Trump claimed that the United States "will stay right in our lane."

Leaving the European Union indicates that Britain could conduct bilateral trade deals with other countries, including the United States. Trump on Thursday voiced his optimism for forging a bilateral tie with Britain.

"We can do a very big trade deal with the UK," he told reporters.

Trump also said in a Thursday morning tweet that his administration "looks forward to negotiating a large scale Trade Deal with the United Kingdom."

"The potential is unlimited!" he tweeted.

British parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal, throwing the country's Brexit process into further chaos.

With May's second defeat over Brexit since January, the British people are facing a hard choice between no-deal Brexit or a delayed Brexit.

On Thursday, British lawmakers voted to reject an amendment calling for a second Brexit referendum.