A history of Donald Trump’s remarks on Britain

The Canary


Donald Trump has criticised Theresa May in an explosive series of tweets after the British ambassador to the US enraged the president by describing his administration as “inept” in leaked advice.

On Twitter, Trump said British diplomat Sir Kim Darroch was “not liked or well thought of within the US”, adding that the White House “will no longer deal with him”, and also accused May of making a “mess” of Brexit.

The prime minister is just the latest target of the president’s ire on social media, which has also included the NHS and the mayor of London.

Donald Trump and Theresa May
US president Donald Trump has strongly criticised May on Twitter (Chris Jackson/PA)

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Here is a look at some of Trump’s past social media opinions on Britain:

Trump’s latest salvo was a departure from how his special relationship with May began, when in January 2017 she became the first world leader to meet him following his inauguration.

But months later he branded May as “very angry” when she rebuked him after intelligence shared with the US in the wake of the Manchester terror attack was leaked to American media.

The leaks prompted British police to temporarily suspend sharing information across the Atlantic.

After the London Bridge terror attack in June 2017, mayor of London Sadiq Khan said people should not be alarmed by visibly increased security on the streets of the capital.

Trump sparked a backlash when he tweeted: “At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is “no reason to be alarmed!”

A spokesman for Khan said the tweet was “ill-informed” and that Trump had deliberately taken the comments out of context. May also criticised her American counterpart.

In September 2017, May delivered a rebuke to the US president after he claimed the Parsons Green Tube bomber was “in the sights” of Scotland Yard. The PM said: “I never think it’s helpful for anybody to speculate on what is an ongoing investigation.”

Downing Street and the White House fell out in November 2017 after the president shared an anti-Muslim video posted online by far-right group Britain First.

In response to a rebuke from Number 10, Trump told the May “don’t focus on me, focus on the destructive radical Islamic terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom”.

He later said he was prepared to apologise for re-tweeting the videos, admitting that he had known nothing about Britain First when he posted online.

In February 2018, Trump used the NHS as an example of why universal healthcare should not reach US shores, claiming the health service was “going broke and not working”.

Trump again took issue with Khan in May as a “stone cold loser”, adding that the mayor of London should focus on addressing crime.

Khan has described Trump as a “poster boy for racists” and remarked that the president appears “obsessed” with him.

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