Donald Trump attacks Theresa May over her criticism of far-right tweets

'Don’t focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom', tweeted the US president

Donald Trump and Theresa May (Photo: the Sun)
Donald Trump and Theresa May (Photo: the Sun)

US president Donald Trump has publicly rebuked Theresa May, over her criticism of anti-Muslim propaganda, bringing forth a diplomatic spat, between the transatlantic allies.

His message came in response to criticism received from the British prime minister’s spokesman, over his re-tweeting of incendiary videos posted by the deputy leader of a British far-right group.

The tirade earned a swift putdown from the US senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, who met May at Downing Street last week, to discuss terrorism in both countries.

There had been hopes that May and Trump - whose mother was British - would remain on good terms.

She was the first foreign leader to visit after he took office: they were photographed holding hands at the White House and she invited him on a state visit to the UK.

But that has yet to take place after a series of controversies and warnings that protesters will take to the streets to show he is not welcome.

Hostility in the UK deepened on Wednesday when Trump highlighted videos from the feed of Jaydan Fransen, of Britain First that purported to show a group of Muslims pushing a boy off a roof.

Another claimed to show a Muslim destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary, and a third claimed to show a Muslim immigrant hitting a Dutch boy on crutches.

The credibility of the last video was immediately undermined when the Dutch embassy in the US said the perpetrator of the violent act in the video was born and raised in the Netherlands.

Fransen was charged with using threatening or abusive language following an appearance at a far-right rally in Belfast this summer.

May’s spokesman made clear Trump’s invitation still stood but said it was “wrong for the president to have done this”. Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, added: “UK has a proud history as an open, tolerant society & hate speech has no place here.”

The Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, described the re-tweets as “abhorrent, dangerous and a threat to our society.”

He and several other members of parliament called for the state visit to be cancelled.

The Labour MP David Lammy said:

US Democrats joined the condemnation. Keith Ellison, the deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee and a Muslim member of Congress, branded the president a “racist.”  

The White House defended the re-tweets.

The principal deputy press secretary, Raj Shah, told reporters on Air Force One: “We think that it’s never the wrong time to talk about security and public safety for the American people. Those are the issues he was raising with the tweets this morning.”

Asked if Trump was aware of the source of the tweets, Shah replied: “I haven’t spoken to him about that.”

The spokesman insisted: “The president has the greatest respect for the British people and for Prime Minister May.”