London:
Donald Trump today indicated that he may end up having a bad relationship with David Cameron after the British Prime Minister criticised his controversial proposal to ban Muslims from entering the US as “divisive, stupid and wrong”.
“It looks like we are not going to have a very good relationship,” the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said. “Who knows, I hope to have a good relationship with him [Cameron] but he’s not willing to address the problem either.”
Cameron, 49, has refused to retract comments he made about the American billionaire tycoon’s temporary ban proposal, which he had branded as “divisive, stupid and wrong”.
In an interview with Britain’s ITV television, Trump responded to his criticism: “Number one, I’m not stupid, I can tell you that right now, just the opposite. I don’t think I’m a divisive person, I’m a unifier, unlike our president now.” Trump’s comments are likley to cause unease among Britons about their ties with their closest ally, the US.
Trump, 69, also went on to take a dig at the newly-elected Muslim mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who had snubbed Trump’s offer of making him an exception to his Muslim ban plan.
“When he [Khan] won I wished him well. Now, I don’t care about him, I mean it doesn’t make any difference to me, let’s see how he does, let’s see if he’s a good mayor,” he said.
In reference to a question about Khan’s comments branding Trump as having an “ignorant view of Islam could make both of our countries less safe it risks alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays into the hands of extremists, he added: “He doesn’t know me, hasn’t met me, doesn’t know what I’m all about. I think they were very rude statements and frankly tell him I will remember those statements. They are very nasty statements I think it’s ignorant for him to say that.”
Asked if he was offended by Khan’s public denouncement he replied: “Yeah, I am.” However, soon after the telecast a spokesperson for Khan reiterated the London mayor’s stand against Trump.
“Donald Trump’s views are ignorant, divisive and dangerous it’s the politics of fear at its worst and will be rejected at the ballot box just as it was in London. Sadiq has spent his whole life fighting extremism, but Trump’s remarks make that fight much harder for us all it plays straight into the extremists’ hands and makes both our countries less safe,” his spokesperson said.
