President Donald LTrump on Sunday criticized London Mayor Sadiq Khan for his response to Saturday’s deadly terror attacks in the British capital.
In an early morning tweet, Trump referred to the number of dead and wounded in the attack on London Bridge, and appeared to chide Khan for telling Londoners not to be alarmed.
Trump was referring to an earlier statement by Khan, in which the mayor told citizens that “Londoners will see an increased police presence today and over the course of the next few days. There’s no reason to be alarmed.”
Khan also stated that London would not be cowered by terrorism, telling the city that the threat level remains at severe.
“Severe means an attack across the country is still highly likely,” he said, warning citizens to be vigilant.
Conservative British Parliament member Penny Mordaunt was quick to back Khan following Trump’s comment. She tweeted out a printout of Khan’s comments and said he was “right to provide reassurance.”
Trump also appeared to chastise advocates of gun control, tweeting that the attack was not generating a debate about gun control because the attackers used knives and a truck. Three men driving a van rammed into pedestrians on London’s Bridge, then proceeded to stab several before being shot by police.
Trump also renewed his call for the United States to move forward on adopting a travel ban on several Muslim majority nations. He earlier referred directly to the ban, which has been held up by U.S. courts.
Trump’s tweet recalled the public criticism of Khan by the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., after a terror attack near the Westminster Palace in March. Trump Jr. tweeted a link to a September 2016 story in which Khan was quoted saying the threat of terror attacks is “part in parcel of living in a big city” and Londoners should be vigilant.
Trump and Khan, London’s first Muslim mayor, have had a combative relationship. Khan has described Trump’s effort to temporarily block entry of citizens from some predominantly Muslim nations into the United States as “shameful and cruel.”
Khan has long cautioned that Trump’s approach to the Muslim world could spark further terrorism.
“Donald Trump’s ignorant view of Islam could make both our countries less safe — it risks alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays into the hands of the extremists,” Khan told CNBC in an emailed statement in last year, when Trump was still campaigning.