London Mayor Sadiq Khan escalated his war of words with President Trump late Monday, suggesting the USA president's planned state visit to Britain should be canceled.
Yet, Khan's supporters pushed back at Trump's assertion, noting that Khan was simply telling Londoners not to be afraid of the increased police presence as the city took necessary precautions.
Khan, a human rights lawyer and practicing Muslim hails from Pakistan, has challenged repeatedly Trump's calls to ban Muslims or people from Muslim countries from entering the U.S, saying the president has a "rude view of Islam".
He took the Mayor of London's quotes out of context, and even when corrected, argued that Khan was making a "pathetic excuse".
Speaking on Channel 4 News, Khan said Britain should not be "rolling out the red carpet to the president of the United States of America in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for", when asked whether the visit should be called off.
Theresa May had earlier dodged repeated questioning about President Trump's tweets, declining to criticise the president and instead opting to praise Mr Khan and their close working relationship following the attacks.
Khan said yesterday that Britain should no longer be willing to "roll out the red carpet" for Trump.
Rep. Himes: Trump's response to London 'inappropriate for a toddler'
Khan told the AP there are "literally millions and millions of Muslims around the world who love America". Maybe he should do something to fix the problem rather than just sit there and pretend there isn't one.
Trump Jr. continued defending his father and noted that every time media criticizes the president, their comments are proven to be wrong.
"The invitation has been issued and accepted but I see no reason to change that", he said.
Trump on Monday doubled down on his attacks on the London mayor.
In her interview with Sky on Tuesday, the prime minister asserted she had been "very clear" on what she thought about Presidents Trump's tweets.
"You have to be kidding me?!" "I think it's a very good thing, and I hope he does a very good job because frankly, that would be very, very good". Khan was talking about a bombing in NY and said it was essential that cities would be prepared for such cases. "[Mainstream media] is working hard to sell it!" tweeted Trump. Trump wrote in a tweet Monday morning.
Trump's election opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, made a lightly veiled reference to the president's current controversy in a speech in Baltimore in which she praised Khan's leadership after the attack, reports The Washington Times.
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