Sir Richard Branson has said he does not believe that most Americans support Donald Trump’s actions since returning to the White House.

The Virgin Group founder said the consequences of the US president’s interventions in areas such as global trade, the war in Ukraine and climate change were “awful for everyone” – US citizens included.

He said: “I honestly think this is a fairly small elite of people around Trump. I don’t think he is carrying the vast majority of Americans in what he is doing.

“Most American people are decent individuals. I’m just sad, incredibly sad. And many, many, many Americans I know are just very sad.”

Sir Richard said Mr Trump risked turning the US into a pariah state if he persists with his tariff policies, isolated in the world and frozen out of global trading relationships.