Donald Trump isn't going to the U.K. because he doesn't want protesters: report

The White House is denying a report that Trump doesn't want to face critics in his first trip to the U.K.

By Matthew Rozsa

Staff Writer

Published June 12, 2017 9:26AM (EDT)

 (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump is reported to have delayed his planned trip to the United Kingdom out of fear that he will be greeted by angry protesters.

Trump used this as his explanation during a recent phone conversation with British Prime Minister Theresa May, according to a report by The Guardian. Trump's relationship with America's ally has been tense — especially since he criticized London Mayor Sadiq Khan for his response to the terrorist attack in his city, using a misquote of Khan's comment that London citizens shouldn't be alarmed by the increased number of police officers.

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The leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has said on Twitter that he supports Trump's decision to cancel his visit, "especially after his attack on London’s mayor & withdrawal from #ParisClimateDeal."

A White House official within told CNN on Monday that "the President has tremendous respect for Prime Minister May. That subject never came up on the call."

The spokesman also said that "the Queen extended an invitation to President Trump to visit the U.K. and there is no change to those plans."

Trump's woeful relationship with the United Kingdom was underscored by Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who told The Guardian when asked about the message that Trump was sending to America's ally: "What do you think the message is? The message is that America doesn’t want to lead."

McCain added that the rest of the world is "not sure of American leadership, whether it be in Siberia or whether it be in Antarctica."

He also said that he felt President Barack Obama's administration had been superior to Trump's "as far as American leadership is concerned."


By Matthew Rozsa

Matthew Rozsa is a staff writer at Salon. He received a Master's Degree in History from Rutgers-Newark in 2012 and was awarded a science journalism fellowship from the Metcalf Institute in 2022.

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Donald Trump England Great Britain John Mccain Partner Video Theresa May United Kingdom