Trump Risks Diplomatic Fight With U.K After Targeting London Mayor With ‘Pathetic’ Tweet

Donald Trump risked provoking a diplomatic row with one of the U.S.’s closest allies, and embarrassing Prime Minister Theresa May ahead of a general election, as he amplified his mockery of London Mayor Sadiq Khan over a terrorist attack that killed seven people.

The president first went after Khan, one of Britain’s most prominent Muslims, on Sunday over the mayor’s statement that people had “no reason to be alarmed.” Khan had been referring to the increased presence of armed police on London’s streets in the wake of the attack. Trump lashed out again Monday.

“Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his ‘no reason to be alarmed’ statement,” the president tweeted. Mainstream media — or MSM — “is working hard to sell it!”

Trump’s escalation, as the U.K.’s capital city returns to normal after the London Bridge attack, puts May in a difficult position in the closing stages of a tightening election race. She has already taken criticism for her decision to get as close as possible to the president, even holding his hand as the two of them walked through the White House in January.

Earlier on Monday, before the president’s latest outburst, May was pushed hard before saying he was “wrong” to attack Khan. After avoiding several attempts by reporters to get her to condemn the U.S. president, May was asked what it would take for her to criticize Trump.

‘It’s Wrong’

Instead, she reiterated her disappointment over his decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement on climate change. After some further heckling, she went further. “Sadiq Khan is doing a good job,” she told a news conference in central London. “It’s wrong to say anything else.”

Trump is due to make a state visit to London later this year as Britain tries to persuade him to sign a post-Brexit trade deal. That offer from May has already been the subject of protests. Last week Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described the prime minister’s position as “subservience” to the president.

As well as mocking Khan, Trump sought to turn the London attacks to domestic political advantage by renewing his call to ban travel from some Muslim-majority countries, and saying the attack by a truck and knives underscored the futility of tighter gun control laws.

May’s concession on Monday that she was “not afraid to say when President Trump gets things wrong” follows her openly complaining last month about U.S. security agencies leaking details of the Manchester Arena suicide bombing, which British police said hurt their investigation.

Shortly after Saturday’s attacks and before they were confirmed as terrorist events, Trump took to Twitter to say “we need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety.” He followed that about eight minutes later with a more conventional expression of concern: “Whatever the United States can do to help out in London and the U.K., we will be there – WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!” His criticism of Khan came the next day.

In response to Trump’s latest tweet, a spokeswoman for Khan had this to say: “The Mayor is focused on dealing with Saturday’s horrific and cowardly attack.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-05/trump-risks-provoking-row-with-u-k-over-london-bridge-attack