London Mayor Sadiq Khan said President Donald Trump’s planned visit to the U.K. should be cancelled after criticizing the mayor following the London terrorist attacks.
Trump is expected to make an official visit to the U.K. in October through the invitation of Prime Minister Theresa May.
“I don’t think we should roll out the red carpet to the president of the USA in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for,” Khan told the UK’s Channel 4 on Monday.
“When you have a special relationship, it is no different from when you have got a close mate,” Khan added. “You stand with them in times of adversity but you call them out when they are wrong. There are many things about which Donald Trump is wrong.”
Khan said that his position on cancelling Trump’s visit to the U.K. has remained constant.
In January, Khan called for his visit to be cancelled after Trump attempted to impose a travel ban in January on Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
“When Theresa May first invited him on a state visit to our country at a time when he was proposing a travel ban on Muslims and changing the American policy on refugees, I said it was inappropriate to be rolling out the red carpet for Donald Trump … nothing has changed my mind,” Khan told the BBC on Tuesday.
Trump initially criticized Khan after saying there was “no cause for alarm” after an increase in police activity following the terrorist attack.
“Londoners will see an increased police presence today and over the course of the next few days,” Khan said. “There’s no reason to be alarmed.”
Trump tweeted in response to Khan’s statement, criticizing the mayor for his words.
“At least seven dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and mayor of London says there is ‘no reason to be alarmed!’ ” Trump tweeted.
The London mayor’s office responded to Trump’s tweet saying “more important things to do than respond to Donald Trump’s ill-informed tweet that deliberately takes out of context his remarks.”
“Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his ‘no reason to be alarmed’ statement. MSM is working hard to sell it!” Trump responded in a separate tweet.
May came out in support of Khan’s response to the terrorist attack.
“I think Sadiq Khan is doing a good job and it’s wrong to say anything else,” May told reporters after a campaign speech this week.
“I’ve been very clear, I’ve been very happy to say when I think President Trump is wrong – to have taken America out of the climate change agreement, the Paris agreement,” May added. “So I’m not afraid to say when I think President Trump is getting things wrong.”
White House spokes person Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the idea that Trump “misrepresented” what the London mayor said was a spin from the media.
“I don’t think that’s actually true. I think that the media wants to spin it that way,” Sanders said. “The point is there is a reason to be alarmed. We have constant attacks going on […] and we have to start putting national security and global security at an all-time high.”
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