LONDON – Donald Trump had cancelled his next month’s visit to the UK afterthe British government did not show him “enough love”, according to a mediareport quoting a source close to the US President.
Trump had claimed that his abrupt decision to cancel the working visit onFebruary 26 and 27 for the launch of a new US embassy building was inprotest against the “bad deal” over the sale of the older embassy in poshMayfair area of central London.
However, the source quoted by The Sunday Times has revealed that in fact hehad been put off by strong anti-Trump sentiments expressed by London mayorSadiq Khan, who has repeatedly said that Trump was not welcome in the city.
However, the source said that his proclaimed distaste for the new embassywas “just an excuse”.
“He (Trump) felt he had not been shown enough love by the Britishgovernment,” the source told the newspaper on condition of anonymity.
“He (Trump) started to believe that the British government thought the sameway about him as Sadiq Khan and Jeremy Corbyn (the Labour party leader),who have made clear their disdain for him and said he is not welcome in theUK,” the source said.
Khan, in a statement released on Twitter after Trump’s own tweet announcingthat he would not be visiting the UK in February, said: “President Trumpgot the message from the many Londoners who love and admire America andAmericans but find his policies and action the polar opposite of our city’svalues”.
On Saturday, pro-Trump protesters turned out to disrupt Khan’s speech ongender equality to the Fabian Society in London.
“It is a pleasure to be here even though we were distracted by the actionsof what some would call very stable geniuses,” the mayor said, as heresumed his speech following the interruption.
His comment was a jibe at the US President, who had used the phrase “verystable genius” to describe himself last week.
Downing Street officials were at an advanced stage of planning the USPresident’s visit to London, which also included a visit to BuckinghamPalace for lunch.
Trump is also said to have expressed interest in playing a round of golf atQueen Elizabeth II nine-hole golf course on the Balmoral estate inAberdeenshire.
But on Friday, he tweeted that he would not be the one inaugurating the newUS embassy at Nine Elms on the south bank of the Thames because he did notapprove of the “off location” site.
The cancellation has been widely viewed as a blow to UK-US relations,raising fears that it could scupper plans for a speedy post-Brexit tradedeal between the two traditional allies.
Sir Nigel Sheinwald, who served as British ambassador to the US from2007-12, told ‘The Observer’ that after Trump’s latest outburst the UK“should put out of our minds the idea that just around the corner when weleave the EU there is a magical deal with the US that is going to solve allour trade and industrial problems”.
“The way in which the bilateral relationship has atrophied and the tone haschanged in the last year since (British Prime Minister Theresa) May’s firstvisit is quite a big blow,” he warned.