London: US President Donald Trump's son Donald Trump Junior has has come under severe attack for his insulting tweet on London Mayor Sadiq Khan hours after an attack in the London city killed five and wounded about 40 on the grounds of the British Parliament.
The US President’s eldest son had tweeted a link to a September 2016 story in 'The Independent', which quoted Sadiq Khan saying terror attacks were “part and parcel of living in a big city”, and “I want to be reassured that every single agency and individual involved in protecting our city has the resources and expertise they need to respond in the event that London is attacked.”
“You have to be kidding me?!” Trump Jr tweeted, quoting the headline: “Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan”.
You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan https://t.co/uSm2pwRTjO
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 22, 2017
However, it’s still unclear whether US President’s son read the article or understood that the quote was from six months ago and not a response to the Wednesday attack, which the Lodon Police are treating as a ''terrorist incident'' .
Authorities said four people died, including a police officer stabbed by a lone attacker trying to enter the House of Commons. The suspect was fatally shot, and at least 20 people have been injured.
Donald Trump Junior's tweet had evoked sharp criticism from several politicians in the US and the UK, including Wes Streeting, the MP for Ilford North and former president of the National Union of Students.
@DonaldJTrumpJr You use a terrorist attack on our city to attack London's Mayor for your own political gain. You're a disgrace.
— Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) March 22, 2017
Is this helpful @DonaldJTrumpJr? Did you even read the article before goading London's Mayor during a live incident?https://t.co/Sm68UOcJQG
— Ciaran Jenkins (@C4Ciaran) March 22, 2017
Others on Twitter pointed Trump Jr to Khan’s actual response to the attack on Wednesday, in which he said: “Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism.”
“I want to reassure all Londoners and all our visitors not to be alarmed. Our city remains one of the safest in the world. London is the greatest city in the world. And we stand together in the face of those who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life. We always have and we always will,” the mayor said.
Khan had made the remarks in 2016 after a bombing in New York City that injured 29 people.
This is not the first time Trump Jr has gotten into trouble for his tweets.
In September, he compared Syrian refugees to poisoned Skittles , prompting widespread backlash. He also faced criticisms for sharing a white supremacist meme .
The White House issued a more conciliatory response to the Wednesday terrorist attack.
The President spoke to British Prime Minister Theresa May on phaone and condemned the incident, CNN reported.
While the White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said it would be "irresponsible" to speculate this soon on what precisely happened or who was responsible.
