Trump may cancel UK trip after terrorism tweet

International Desk: President Donald Trump may cancel a visit he had planned to Britain because he faces potential protests for criticizing London’s mayor as the city reeled from a terror attack, The Guardian reported Sunday.

Trump told British Prime Minister Theresa May in a recent phone call that he doesn’t want to make a state visit until the British public is behind him, according to The Guardian, which cited an unnamed Downing Street adviser.

Trump is worried about large-scale demonstrations against him, the British newspaper reported. May was surprised by the sentiment, the paper reported.

White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters did not immediately confirm to Newsday whether Trump had changed or is reconsidering his plans.

A date had not been released publicly for his visit.

Walters denied to The Associated Press that Trump and May talked about protests, saying Trump “has tremendous respect for Prime Minister May. That subject never came up on the call.”

In the aftermath of the deadly June 3 terror attacks on sites including London Bridge, Trump tweeted an insult at London Mayor Sadiq Khan using an out-of-context quote.

“At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is ‘no reason to be alarmed!’ ” Trump tweeted on June 4. The death toll has risen to eight.

Khan, in fact, had said London residents should not be alarmed by the increased presence of heavily armed police on the streets.

Trump tweeted on June 5: “Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his ‘no reason to be alarmed’ statement. MSM [mainstream media] is working hard to sell it!”

Khan said last week he believes Trump’s visit to the United Kingdom should be called off.

“I don’t think we should roll out the red carpet to the president . . . in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for,” Khan told Britain’s Channel 4 News.

May, as the first foreign visitor to the White House after Trump’s inauguration, had invited him to visit.

Trump spent the weekend at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club and was expected to speak at a fundraiser Sunday night for Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.).

The president was scheduled to return to Washington on Sunday night.

Agencies


risingbd/Dhaka/Jun 12, 2017/Shahed/Nasim