Trump visit to Britain dropped in row with PM over social media posts

A planned visit to Britain by U.S. President Donald Trump has been dropped by U.S. diplomats, British newspaper The Telegraph reported Friday.

Trump was set to travel to Britain in the first month of 2018 on a working visit to open the new U.S. embassy in London, said the report.

A war of words has erupted between Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May over a series of messages on the president's social media site which included videos posted by a controversial far right group in Britain called Britain First.

May responded to Trump's actions with a rebuke saying he was wrong to share the videos. The prime minister also denounced Britain First as a hateful organisation that "seeks to spread mistrust and division within British communities.

Trump hit back on his social media site by telling May: "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!"

It has led to calls by politicians and community groups for an invitation for Trump to pay a state visit to Britain to meet Queen Elizabeth to be withdrawn.

May has so far rejected calls for the invitation to be cancelled telling journalists: "An invitation for a state visit has been extended and has been accepted. We have yet to set a date." May added that the special relationship between Britain and the United States was "in both our nations' interests" and should continue.

The Telegraph reported that U.S. diplomats have dropped plans for Trump to conduct a visit to Britain in January for what was described as a "working visit". Other media are also reporting the planned visit in early 2018 has been "kicked into the long grass".

Trump was not scheduled on the trip to meet the Royal family, with the Telegraph saying it was intended to allow the president to come to Britain while avoiding the mass protests a full state visit would likely trigger.

Trump's proposed state visit was opposed by many politicians from the moment it was issued soon after his election But the row over the hateful videos he posted has intensified anger over the prospect of Trump paying a state visit.

The tabloid Daily Mirror devoted its front page to an image of Trump with the headline "Not Wanted".

In an editorial, the Mirror called on the government to withdraw the State visit invitation, saying "bigots are not welcome here". It also reported calls for Trumped to be charged with race hate crimes over his social media postings.

The Independent in London says on its front page that the special UK-U.S. relation is "in tatters", describing the extraordinary fallout between the two leaders as in crisis.

source: AFP