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Trump attacks British PM for criticism over anti-Muslim videos
Trump drew fierce condemnation Wednesday after he retweeted three anti-Muslim videos posted by the deputy head of a British far-right group who has been convicted of a hate crime.
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British Prime Minister Theresa May and US President Donald Trump wait for a meeting at the Palace Hotel in New York, on the sidelines of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly, on Sept. 20, 2017. (Agence France-Presse/Brendan Smialowksi)
U
S President Donald Trump lunged headlong into a row with British Prime Minister Theresa May late Wednesday, publicly rebutting her criticism of anti-Muslim propaganda.
"Theresa @theresamay, don't focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!" Trump tweeted, hours after using the social media platform to retweet Islamophobic videos from a British far right leader.
Trump drew fierce condemnation Wednesday after he retweeted three anti-Muslim videos posted by the deputy head of a British far-right group who has been convicted of a hate crime.
Trump faced criticism both at home and from abroad -- in London, the government of Prime Minister Theresa May said he was "wrong" to promote the "hateful narratives" of the group, British First.
The White House scrambled to limit the fallout, saying even if the anti-Muslim videos were misleading, Trump was pointing out a real problem.
"The threat is real, and that's what the president is talking about," said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders.
Deputy spokesman Raj Shah also defended Trump's actions: "It's never the wrong time to talk about the security and safety of the American people. Those are the issues he was raising in his tweets this morning."
One of the videos falsely claims to show a Muslim beating up a Dutch boy on crutches.
The Dutch embassy in Washington took the unusual step of publicly criticizing a sitting US president on Twitter.
".@realDonaldTrump Facts do matter. The perpetrator of the violent act in this video was born and raised in the Netherlands. He received and completed his sentence under Dutch law."
