U.S. Mayors Rally Behind London's Mayor After Trump’s Unfair Criticisms
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, center, arrives at the London Bridge area of London on Monday ahead of a vigil for victims of a presumed terrorist attack. Alastair Grant / AP Photo
The president took Sadiq Kahn’s warning about increased police presence out of context, in a series of tweets that also shared unconfirmed information about Saturday's London Bridge attack.
U.S. city halls rushed to London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s defense Monday as President Trump continued to mischaracterize the mayor’s response to Saturday night’s presumed terrorist attack on London Bridge and Borough Market as nonchalant.
At a Monday evening vigil honoring the seven killed and 48 injured, Khan reassured residents with a message for the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility: “As a proud and patriotic British Muslim, I say this: ‘You do not commit these disgusting acts in my name. Your perverse ideology has nothing to do with the true values of Islam, and you will never succeed in dividing our city.’”
Trump, meanwhile, remained preoccupied with Kahn’s earlier dismissal of his Sunday morning criticism that the mayor wasn’t taking the attack seriously:
“[T]he Mayors of the USA whose cities have been hit with an attack of hate and murder have an even more personal feeling for London Mayor Khan. We commend him for his statement today,” said Tom Cochran, U.S. Conference of Mayors executive director, in a Sunday statement. “He has risen above this crisis of death and destruction, as mayors continue to do, to alleviate fear, to bring comfort to his people of London and to give support to the first responders who continue to protect, defend and provide emergency care to his people of London.”
On Sunday, Kahn warned London residents and visitors: "You will see an increased police presence today, including armed officers and uniformed officers. There is no reason to be alarmed by this.”
Trump took the mayor's comments out of context:
The president went on to point out guns weren’t used in the attack, without acknowledging the United Kingdom’s heavy restrictions on firearms, and plug his original executive order for a "Muslim travel ban."
Kahn’s response? He, understandably, was too preoccupied with emergency response to be bothered:
With Trump unwilling or unable to let the matter lie, other U.S mayors have condemned the president’s political comments and supported Kahn:
Prior to calling out Kahn, Trump was found tweeting unconfirmed reports about the London Bridge attack from Drudge Report, instead of the official accounts of U.S. intelligence agencies. The decision prompted The Associated Press to issue the disclaimer the president “can’t be counted on to give accurate information to Americans when violent acts are unfolding abroad."
Dave Nyczepir is a News Editor at Government Executive’s Route Fifty and is based in Washington, D.C.
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