Trump’s state visit invite still stands, U.K. says
CHANGE OF PLANS: U.S. president wants to postpone visit
LONDON — Britain’s invitation of a state visit for U.S. President Donald Trump still stands, the prime minister’s office said Sunday, after a newspaper reported that Trump wants to postpone the trip.
The Guardian reported Sunday that Trump told Prime Minister Theresa May during a phone call that he doesn’t want to go to England if there will be large-scale protests — a likely prospect.
The newspaper cited an unnamed Downing Street adviser who was in the room at the time of the phone conversation, which took place in the past few weeks. The adviser said May was surprised by Trump’s statement.
But the White House said the two leaders did not discuss the topic.
White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said Trump “has tremendous respect for Prime Minister May. That subject never came up on the call.”
May’s office declined to comment on “private phone conversations.”
It said Queen Elizabeth had “extended an invitation to President Trump to visit the U.K. and there is no change to those plans.”
Britain has never confirmed dates for the visit, although officials have said it could be in October.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan last week said the visit should be called off, after Trump insulted him in tweets following the London Bridge attack.
The president accused Khan of making a “pathetic excuse” over his statement urging Londoners not to be alarmed by the presence of additional police on the streets in response to the attack.
Speaking to Channel 4 News, Khan said Trump had been wrong about “many things” and that the government should cancel his state visit.
“I don’t think we should roll out the red carpet to the president of the U.S.A. in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for,” Khan said.
The Telegraph reported Sunday it is expected that the visit will be put on hold for some time as British public opinion about the American president is not overwhelmingly positive.
May invited Trump and his wife to Britain on a state visit just seven days after he was elected, when she travelled to Washington to meet him in what was lauded as a sign that the U.K.-U.S. relationship was stronger than ever.
But since Trump’s introduction of a series of controversial policy measures, there have been a number of calls for the invitation to be rescinded.