Trump gets facts wrong as he nixes London visit
LONDON -- President Trump has said he decided to cancel a working visit to London to officially open the new U.S. embassy because he doesn't like the building, and thinks his predecessor was wrong to "sell" the old one.
The so-called "bad deal" behind Mr. Trump's latest controversial tweet was for the construction of the gleaming new $1 billion embassy, which, reports CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti, is perched atop a man-made hill, behind a deep pond which officials insist is not a mote. It is billed as one of the most secure buildings in the world.
While the fortress-like compound in south London lives up to the extreme security posture President Trump has called for in the United States, he said in his tweet that he's not a "big fan," and blamed President Obama for the move.
Reason I canceled 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 1.2 billion dollars. Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018
But Mr. Trump got his facts wrong. The "bad deal" was actually made by President George W. Bush in 2008, not President Obama.
Mr. Trump's cancellation comes amid calls for large protests outside the embassy's ribbon cutting event, and backlash over Prime Minister Teresa May's invitation to Mr. Trump for an official state visit, which was extended shortly after his inauguration.
Many Britons have been angered by what they see as President Trump's divisive politics, and his recent retweets of anti-Muslim videos posted by a far-right white nationalist group Britain First.
Prime Minister May's office gave no direct response to Mr. Trump's cancellation of the working visit to open the embassy, dismissing it as a matter for the U.S. administration.
"The State visit has been extended and accepted. No date was confirmed for any visit. The opening of the U.S. embassy is a matter for the U.S. The U.S. is one of our oldest and most important allies and our strong and deep partnership will endure," said May's official spokesman.
Many Londoners have made it clear that Donald Trump is not welcome here while he is pursuing such a divisive agenda. It seems he’s finally got that message. This reinforces what a mistake it was for Theresa May to rush and extend an invitation of a state visit in the first place. pic.twitter.com/lNaQGx9iBw
— Mayor of London (@MayorofLondon) January 12, 2018
London Mayor Sadiq Kahn, who has criticized the president before, was blunt: "Many Londoners have made it clear that Donald Trump is not welcome here while he is pursuing such a divisive agenda. It seems he's finally got that message."
Prime Minister May's top diplomat, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, issued a tweet stressing the fact that Mayor Khan does not speak for Britain's national government, saying Khan seemed "determined" to put the "crucial relationship" with the U.K.'s "biggest single investor" at risk.
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.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 12, 2018
The White House has not yet given any further information on when, or if, Mr. Trump still intends to accept the invitation for an official state visit to Britain.