Outrage at Trump ‘racist’ jibe about Africa
DONALD Trump sparked international outrage after apparently describing nations in Africa as “s**thole countries”.
The US President, who has cancelled his plans to visit Britain next month, made the remarks during a meeting in the Oval Office.
Rejecting a bipartisan immigration deal, he questioned why the US would accept more immigrants from Haiti and “s**thole countries” in Africa.
Mr Trump later said on Twitter his words during the meeting were “tough”, but insisted: “This was not the language used.”
But Illinois senator Dick Durbin, who was present at the time, said it was “the exact word used by the President not just once but repeatedly”.
The UN human rights office said the President’s remarks could “potentially damage and disrupt the lives of many people”. South Africa’s ruling African National Congress called the comments “extremely offensive”, while Botswana’s government said they were “reprehensible and racist”.
A Downing Street spokesman said he would not comment on “alleged private remarks”. Asked if the Prime Minister viewed the countries Mr Trump was referring to as “s**tholes”, the spokesman replied: “No.”
BORIS Johnson has fuelled the controversy over Donald Trump’s unexpected decision to pull out of a visit to the UK by claiming Jeremy Corbyn and Sadiq Khan, Labour’s London Mayor, were putting the UK-US Special Relationship “at risk”.
Suggestions have been made that the US President backed out of a visit to open the new American embassy in London’s Nine Elms near Vauxhall next month because of the prospect of mass protests, raising doubts that the planned four-day state visit will ever go ahead.
After Mr Trump took to Twitter at 4.57am yesterday to confirm his visit cancellation, Mr Khan welcomed the news saying the President had “got the message from the many Londoners who love and admire America and Americans but find his policies and actions the polar opposite of our city’s values of inclusion, diversity and tolerance”.
He noted how Mr Trump would have been met by “mass peaceful protests”.
But the Foreign Secretary took to Twitter to condemn Mr Khan and his party leader, saying: “The US is the biggest single investor in the UK yet Khan & Corbyn seem determined to put this crucial relationship at risk.
“We will not allow US-UK relations to be endangered by some puffed-up, pompous popinjay in City Hall.”
Downing Street was unable to say whether Mr Johnson was speaking for the Government, stressing how it was “not aware of the circumstances of the tweet”.
Asked if Theresa May felt Mr Khan’s comments damaged the Special Relationship, her deputy spokesman said: “No. The US and UK are strong, resilient partners and allies; we do more together than any other two countries in the world.”
As the President was mocked on Twitter yesterday, his waxwork model drew public attention as it was placed outside the new embassy by Madame Tussauds.
In his tweet Mr Trump said: “Reason I cancelled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for ‘peanuts’, only to build a new one in an off location for $1.2bn.
“Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon – NO!”
Meanwhile, there was criticism of Mr Trump describing the site of the US embassy as “off location”.
It is moving from its current home in the heart of the West End in Grosvenor Square to improve security.
Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth Council, said that if the south-west London area had been off location yesterday “it is certainly centre-stage today”.
Just south of the River Thames, the cubeshaped embassy building is in sight of Westminster and part of a £15 billion, 561-acre regeneration project set to transform one of the South Bank’s last remaining industrial stretches.
It will include 20,000 new homes and 25,000 permanent jobs. Apple is to move its headquarters there.