Theresa May today slapped down Donald Trump over his “completely unacceptable” race rant.
The UK Prime Minister joined condemnation of the President’s “dangerous, racist” attack on a group of congresswomen.
In a shocking tweet the President said “Progressive Democrat” politicians who had criticised him should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came”.
While he did not mention names, he appeared to be referring to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
Only Ms Omar, whose family left Somalia as refugees and arrived in Minneapolis in 1997, was born outside the United States.
A Downing Street spokesman said today: “The Prime Minister’s view is that the language used to refer to these women was completely unacceptable.”
Asked if the Prime Minister thought the comments were “racist”, Mrs May’s spokesman said he had nothing further to add.
Ironically, it comes six years after Mrs May herself presided over Home Office vans that told illegal immigrants in the UK to “go home or face arrest”.
(Image: SIPA USA/PA Images)
The criticism will now heap pressure on Boris Johnson, who is expected to replace Mrs May has Prime Minister in nine days, to join attacks on the US President.
Mr Johnson has been accused of being Donald Trump’s “lapdog”. On Friday he admitted he should have stood up more powerfully for Britain’s Ambassador to Washington in a diplomat spat.
He will face questions in his final head-to-head debate with rival Jeremy Hunt at 7pm tonight.
Meanwhile the criticism shows the extent to which Theresa May – previously accused of sucking up to Trump herself – has abandoned efforts to keep the relationship sweet.
Relations deteriorated last week as President Trump branded her “foolish” and called her Brexit plan a “disaster”, weeks after being given a lavish state visit to the UK.
(Image: SIPA USA/PA Images)
Donald Trump’s shocking tweet read: “So interesting to see ‘Progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run.
“Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came? Then come back and show us how it is done.
“These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!”
(Image: SIPA USA/PA Images)
Ms Ocasio-Cortez, like Trump a native of New York City, responded on Twitter after his rant yesterday.
She said: “Mr. President, the country I ‘come from,’ and the country we all swear to, is the United States.
“You are angry because you can’t conceive of an America that includes us. You rely on a frightened America for your plunder.”
Ms Pressley shared a screenshot of Mr Trump’s tweet, adding: “THIS is what racism looks like. WE are what democracy looks like.”
And Ms Tlaib, congresswoman for Michigan’s 13th district, said: “He is the crisis. His dangerous ideology is the crisis. He needs to be impeached.”
