Trump's UK visit on despite criticism, says foreign secretary

webfact · June 6, 2017

Trump's UK visit on despite criticism, says foreign secretary

By Estelle Shirbon and Kate Holton

REUTERS

A combination photo shows U.S. President Donald Trump (L) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, U.S. on May 31, 2017 and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at the scene of the attack on London Bridge and Borough Market in central London, Britain, June 5, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (L) and REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne (R)/File Photos

LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Tuesday he saw no reason to cancel Donald Trump's state visit to Britain after the U.S. president criticised Mayor Sadiq Khan's response to the London Bridge killings.

Prime Minister Theresa May called Trump's comments "wrong."

Trump has lambasted Khan on Twitter, accusing him of making a "pathetic excuse," for saying Londoners should not be alarmed by the sight of additional police on the streets of the British capital after Saturday's attack that killed seven people.

"The invitation has been issued and accepted and I see no reason to change that, but as far as what Sadiq Khan has said about the reassurances he's offered the people of London, I think he was entirely right to speak in the way he did," Johnson said in a BBC radio interview when asked whether Trump's state visit should be cancelled.

No date has been set for the visit, which was agreed during May's visit to Washington in January and seen as a sign of her desire to maintain good ties with Britain's traditional close ally as Trump began his presidency.

The Conservative prime minister has said Khan is doing a good job, echoing public sentiment across London.

On Tuesday, May told a political rally in response to a question about Trump's tweets, "I think Donald Trump was wrong in the things that he has said about Sadiq Khan."

Trump and Khan, the son of Pakistani immigrants and the first Muslim elected as London's mayor, have been at odds since Khan denounced as "ignorant" Trump's campaign pledge to impose a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has ordered temporary travel restrictions on people from several Muslim-majority countries, although the ban is currently held up by federal courts.

Asked on Tuesday about the London visit, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said only that Trump intended to go and that "he appreciates her majesty's gracious invitation."

Asked on Monday evening if he would like Trump's visit to be called off, Khan, a member of Britain's opposition Labour party, said his position remained the same.

"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 Channel 4 News.

'TRASH TALK'

Tim Farron, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats, also has urged May to cancel the visit, saying Trump was insulting Britain's values "at a time of introspection and mourning."

Former Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, defeated by Trump last November, praised Khan's performance in dealing with the attacks.

Speaking at a fundraising event on Monday, she did not name Trump but said it was "not the time to lash out, to incite fear and use trash talk and terror for political gain," the Washington Examiner reported.

Deputy White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters on Monday that she did not think it was correct to characterise Trump's tweets as "picking a fight" with Khan.

Asked if Trump was attacking the mayor because he is Muslim, Sanders replied: "Not at all. And I think to suggest something like that is utterly ridiculous."

Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., defended his father.

"Every time he puts something out there he gets criticized by the media. All day, every day," Trump Jr. said in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" broadcast on Tuesday.

"And guess what, he's been proven right about it, every time. We keep saying, 'It's going to be great' and 'Hold fast,' 'We're going to keep calm and carry on.' Maybe we have to keep calm and actually do something," he said. He was referring to a World War Two-era slogan of resilience, to "keep calm and carry on", that Britons have echoed following the London attack.

British author J.K. Rowling said on Tuesday that if a state visit did go ahead, Trump's tweets related to the attack should be enlarged and shown wherever he goes.

"I'd rather he didn't come, but if he does, I'd like his vile Tweets juxtaposed against whatever he's been coaxed to read off an autocue," Rowling, celebrated for her Harry Potter books and a frequent critic of Trump, wrote on Twitter.

(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon and Kate Holton; Additional reporting by Daniel Wallis in New York, Steve Holland and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Elizabeth Piper, Frances Kerry and Bill Trott)

darksidedog · June 6, 2017

If he wants to come, let him. I am sure the good people of England will turn out in massive numbers to give him an "appropriate welcome."

Credo · June 6, 2017

Anybody who thinks the Royal Family doesn't earn their money is wrong. I am sure the Queen would sell the crown jewels to not have to share a meal with him. She will probably have Buckingham Palace disinfected after his visit.

lovelomsak · June 7, 2017

Very good time for the British to show their class by be diplomatic and polite in true British style.or are British changing to suit the new population.

Just because some one says what they think and it does not agree with their view does not make a good reason to not respect others and be hospitable.

Edited June 7, 2017 by lovelomsak

boomerangutang · June 7, 2017

1 hour ago, Credo said:

Anybody who thinks the Royal Family doesn't earn their money is wrong. I am sure the Queen would sell the crown jewels to not have to share a meal with him. She will probably have Buckingham Palace disinfected after his visit.

The Queen could call off the invitation, could she not? Is she completely powerless? I heard she gave Mugabe the red carpet treatment. She should have stepped down decades ago. She could go off to pasture, and still do what she does; greet elders at Retired Peoples' Communal Houses, and smile and sip tea with them. Would a King Charles maintain the invitation to Trump and his giant entourage of ass kissers? Methinks not. Charles has a bit of social consciousness, doesn't he?

darksidedog · June 7, 2017

36 minutes ago, lovelomsak said:

Very good time for the British to show their class by be diplomatic and polite in true British style.or are British changing to suit the new population.

Just because some one says what they think and it does not agree with their view does not make a good reason to not respect others and be hospitable.

Don't forget, in January last year over 580,000 people signed a petition asking that Trump be blocked from even entering the UK. That suggested to me he wouldn't be warmly welcomed. Since that time his popularity has hardly gone up, so I suspect his reception, if he does come, to be somewhat problematic.

It would be wise for him to stay away, but wisdom does not appear to be one of his strong points.

Credo · June 7, 2017

I don't think the Queen can do that. I think it would be a crisis if she did.

boomerangutang · June 7, 2017

41 minutes ago, lovelomsak said:

Very good time for the British to show their class by be diplomatic and polite in true British style.or are British changing to suit the new population.

Just because some one says what they think and it does not agree with their view does not make a good reason to not respect others and be hospitable.

It's a lot more than just the London Mayor who are against feting The Divider. Open your eyes.

Trump deserves zero respect. Bernie Madoff is more respectable than Trump, if for no other reasons than; Madoff has ripped off less people, he's more of a gentleman than Trump (Bernie is not likely a pussy-grabber), and probably realizes that transferring a million environmental jobs to the Chinese is not good for America.

Rob13 · June 7, 2017

I wonder if anybody will be there to pick him up at the airport.

boomerangutang · June 7, 2017

5 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

Don't forget, in January last year over 580,000 people signed a petition asking that Trump be blocked from even entering the UK. That suggested to me he wouldn't be warmly welcomed. Since that time his popularity has hardly gone up, so I suspect his reception, if he does come, to be somewhat problematic.

It would be wise for him to stay away, but wisdom does not appear to be one of his strong points.

If that petition is still active, it wouldn't be surprising if it's pumped up to over 3 million - particularly after Trump's rude reaction to the London killings.

The only good thing that could come out of The Divider visiting London, is massive protests shown to the world on mass media. Trump is a mud wrestler. If Brits want to get in the mud pit with him, they're going to get soiled. A royally sanctioned visit by Trump, with all the trimmings (horse-drawn carriage, royal guards, tea with the Queen, etc) will reflect badly on British royalty. It's a losing situation for the Brits. Rescind the invitation while you still can.

boomerangutang · June 7, 2017

from the OP; "no date has been set for the meeting"

Let me clue the Brits in to something. Trump started off his presidency badly, and it's been getting regressively worse for him as each week rolls by. If the meeting is late summer, Trump will be looking awful, politically. If the meeting is in the autumn, it will be even worse. You get the picture?

Britain will be hosting Trump and his fatally flawed entourage, while most of them are either under indictment and Trump himself suffering impeachment proceedings. It will look awful for Brits' image. It would be like hosting Mike Tyson or Bill Cosby while they're going through they're law-breaking problems.

pegman · June 7, 2017

24 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

The Queen could call off the invitation, could she not? Is she completely powerless? I heard she gave Mugabe the red carpet treatment. She should have stepped down decades ago. She could go off to pasture, and still do what she does; greet elders at Retired Peoples' Communal Houses, and smile and sip tea with them. Would a King Charles maintain the invitation to Trump and his giant entourage of ass kissers? Methinks not. Charles has a bit of social consciousness, doesn't he?

Liz is a starch conservative. Uncle Eddie was chummy with Hitler. Time to move on with Chuck.

kamahele · June 7, 2017

The president has been incredibly disrespectful to the UK since the attack in London. I would think that UK citizens will show their displeasure during his visit.

klauskunkel · June 7, 2017

2 hours ago, webfact said:

"Every time he puts something out there he gets criticized by the media. All day, every day," Trump Jr.

Well, Trump Jr., if you don't like the results of a behavior, then changing or stopping the behavior maybe worth looking into. Many species over eons have used this as best practice in evolution. Even single-cellers do it.

Andaman Al · June 7, 2017

49 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

The Queen could call off the invitation, could she not? Is she completely powerless? I heard she gave Mugabe the red carpet treatment. She should have stepped down decades ago. She could go off to pasture, and still do what she does; greet elders at Retired Peoples' Communal Houses, and smile and sip tea with them. Would a King Charles maintain the invitation to Trump and his giant entourage of ass kissers? Methinks not. Charles has a bit of social consciousness, doesn't he?

The Queen is effectively there to do the bidding of the British Government. If the Government say there will be a state visit then the Queen has to host it.

One of two things will happen here and neither will be pleasant for our long reigning loyal Monarch. Either the streets of London will be empty during the 'procession' or the streets will be FULL of people screaming vitriol at Trump. Either way it will not be an easy visit. If Trump doesn't like people booing at him he needs to stay state-side.

Knee Jerk Reaction · June 7, 2017

47 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

Don't forget, in January last year over 580,000 people signed a petition asking that Trump be blocked from even entering the UK. That suggested to me he wouldn't be warmly welcomed. Since that time his popularity has hardly gone up, so I suspect his reception, if he does come, to be somewhat problematic.

It would be wise for him to stay away, but wisdom does not appear to be one of his strong points.

That's less than 1% of the population signed the petitition. Most people in the UK couldn't care less about American or any other countries politics.

Andaman Al · June 7, 2017

25 minutes ago, pegman said:

Liz is a starch conservative. Uncle Eddie was chummy with Hitler. Time to move on with Chuck.

This was a tense meeting and that shows on the faces of the entourage. Remember that the German aristocracy was still effectively in place at this time and many of 'Eddies' direct cousins were in need of help. Isn't negotiation for peace and trying to be friendly much easier at the start of any conflict than allowing peace to be decided on the piles of rotting soldiers corpses.

oxo1947 · June 7, 2017

2 hours ago, Credo said:

Anybody who thinks the Royal Family doesn't earn their money is wrong. I am sure the Queen would sell the crown jewels to not have to share a meal with him. She will probably have Buckingham Palace disinfected after his visit.

Yer---lets see "JUST A FEW" of the people that have enjoyed Tea & Cucumber sandwiches with HRH over the last few years.

President SUHARTO of Indonesia

Romanian President NICOLAE CEAUSESCU

President ROBERT MUGABE of Zimbabwe

President XI JINPING of China

VLADIMIR PUTIN

President BASHAR AL-ASSAD of Syria

President MOBUTO SESE SEKO of Zaire

Anyway the Queen has been married to the Duke of Edinburgh for about two hundred years, so I am sure 1 hour with Trump wont be to difficult...................

ezzra · June 7, 2017

Yeah.. ban Trump from entering the UK but allow other scum Muslim

terrorist to enter the UK with an open arms set up homes, mosques

and madrasa to preach hatrates for all infidels.....

Andaman Al · June 7, 2017

The people that enter the UK do so by invitation of the UK Government at the time NOT the Queen. The Queens job is to host whoever the Government see fit to invite for whatever political purpose that was.

aslimversgwm · June 7, 2017

17 minutes ago, oxo1947 said:

Yer---lets see "JUST A FEW" of the people that have enjoyed Tea & Cucumber sandwiches with HRH over the last few years.

President SUHARTO of Indonesia

Romanian President NICOLAE CEAUSESCU

President ROBERT MUGABE of Zimbabwe

President XI JINPING of China

VLADIMIR PUTIN

President BASHAR AL-ASSAD of Syria

President MOBUTO SESE SEKO of Zaire

Anyway the Queen has been married to the Duke of Edinburgh for about two hundred years, so I am sure 1 hour with Trump wont be to difficult...................

Very funny conclusion. Love it to bits!

terryw · June 7, 2017

Not everyone supports Sadiq Khan. He is definately not a saint. On Monday morning May supported him. In the evening he was on TV criticising her.

That might be modern day politics but a lot of people regard Khan as slimy and two faced.

iReason · June 7, 2017

3 hours ago, lovelomsak said:

Very good time for the British to show their class by be diplomatic and polite in true British style.or are British changing to suit the new population.

Just because some one says what they think and it does not agree with their view does not make a good reason to not respect others and be hospitable.

A curious perspective.

Why should such an ignorant, lying, incompetent, crass, boorish, oaf be given the time of day?

Especially, when he has continually displayed the exact opposite of what you expect from the British?

"their class by be diplomatic and polite" " respect others and be hospitable."

"or are British changing to suit the new population" I don't even know what that means...

Khon Kaen Dave · June 7, 2017

After the election is over, there will no doubt that someone will leak that Theresa May only won because the Americans hacked in to it and helped her remain as prime minister.

Putin has no interest in the UK

boomerangutang · June 7, 2017

2 hours ago, Andaman Al said:

The people that enter the UK do so by invitation of the UK Government at the time NOT the Queen. The Queens job is to host whoever the Government see fit to invite for whatever political purpose that was.

If so, she's got less power than I thought. And I thought she had very little power, such as knighting people, and giving a birthday speech.

2 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

Well, Trump Jr., if you don't like the results of a behavior, then changing or stopping the behavior maybe worth looking into. Many species over eons have used this as best practice in evolution. Even single-cellers do it.

He's an old man. Entering his 7th decade, he's not going to change his character. If anything, he'll become more decrepit, like Reagan, as he devolves towards Alzheimer's disease. Covfefe everyone.

2 hours ago, oxo1947 said:

Yer---lets see "JUST A FEW" of the people that have enjoyed Tea & Cucumber sandwiches with HRH over the last few years.

President SUHARTO of Indonesia

Romanian President NICOLAE CEAUSESCU

President ROBERT MUGABE of Zimbabwe

President XI JINPING of China

VLADIMIR PUTIN

President BASHAR AL-ASSAD of Syria

President MOBUTO SESE SEKO of Zaire

Anyway the Queen has been married to the Duke of Edinburgh for about two hundred years, so I am sure 1 hour with Trump wont be to difficult...................

excerpt from an article in the Guardian. . . . . . .

"Signatories to the online petition calling for the Trump invitation to be rescinded may take comfort from suggestions that state visits can carry the kiss of political, if not mortal, death."

"The Shah of Iran came calling in 1959. He was ultimately booted off the Peacock Throne and died in exile. Tehran has been a problem since. Assorted kings and various real or imagined foreign royals met a similar fate after crossing the sombre portals of Buck House. They include Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia (1954), King Faisal II of Iraq (1956), King Paul of Greece (1963) and King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan (1971). All these monarchs and their ruling houses have since been wholly erased from the world stage, precedents that Trump and his familial entourage might bear in mind as he takes the royal carriage tour of the Mall."

KarenBravo · June 7, 2017

Let him come.

I predict that sales of tomatoes and eggs will surge.

Traveler19491 · June 7, 2017

4 hours ago, lovelomsak said:

Very good time for the British to show their class by be diplomatic and polite in true British style.or are British changing to suit the new population.

Just because some one says what they think and it does not agree with their view does not make a good reason to not respect others and be hospitable.

Perhaps Trump should have observed your admonition and shown some class, been diplomatic and polite by supporting the UK in their time of tragedy, rather than demonstrating his complete lack of class by using an unspeakably tragic incident to further his own agenda.

Just because he has an obsession for a ban on Muslims does not make a good reason to not respect the grief and tragedy of others.

Khon Kaen Dave · June 7, 2017

Queen Elizabeth is indeed only our figure head. And it true that she has no power to sway political decisions.The only reason that she asks the incoming Prime Minster to form a government is purely tradition, stretching back over centuries. However, there are many powerful people in her court entourage that have her ear.The Queen may be our sovereign and our defender of the faith, but she is also a human being. It would be naive to think that if she was to feel, or show displeasure in any way, at any thing, the people around her, who love and protect our Royalty, could not surreptitiously change a situation, by subtle words in the right persons ear.

The Royal family has had their problems in the past, from implications of homosexuality, Infidelities, Abdication of our king to marry a common divorcee, and having knowledge of 19th century horrific murders. The public can say, in public, what they like because we have no laws of 'Les Mageste" And the Royal family never answer any of the accusations, nor do they sue.There are many unanswered theories about events in the episode of the death of Princess Diana. But we can only speculate. But the Queen has many charities, one being the Battersea dogs home, to witch she contributes anonymously. Our Queen may be getting on, but she has never been stupid.And she has the inability to defend herself in public. But we are a free country, for that we should be grateful.

ResandePohm · June 7, 2017

3 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

from the OP; "no date has been set for the meeting"

Let me clue the Brits in to something. Trump started off his presidency badly, and it's been getting regressively worse for him as each week rolls by. If the meeting is late summer, Trump will be looking awful, politically. If the meeting is in the autumn, it will be even worse. You get the picture?

Britain will be hosting Trump and his fatally flawed entourage, while most of them are either under indictment and Trump himself suffering impeachment proceedings. It will look awful for Brits' image. It would be like hosting Mike Tyson or Bill Cosby while they're going through they're law-breaking problems.

While I believe you to be right in what you say I do not believe the British Government will cancel his visit. The reason being that they will be afraid of harming UK/USA relations. There are far to many people in USA that would take it as a slight against the USA and not see it as rejection of an incompetent and psychotically deranged individual. The British Government is currently in a pickle with its Brexit policy causing it to lose many friends in Europe. It will do everything not to lose other important friends even if they are currently governed by bafoons

stevenl · June 7, 2017

Just to prove government really is a family business in the USA:

" "And guess what, he's been proven right about it, every time. We keep saying, 'It's going to be great' and 'Hold fast,' 'We're going to keep calm and carry on.' Maybe we have to keep calm and actually do something," he said. "

Speaking for the 'we' is Donald Trump junior.

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