WASHINGTON: Donald Trump lashed out Sunday at London’s mayor Sadiq Khan, accusing him of downplaying the threat of terrorism a day after knife-wielding men mowed down and stabbed revelers in the British capital.
London’s mayor swiftly shot down the US president’s remarks, made in a series of overnight tweets, as critics accused Trump of exploiting a terror attack for political gain — and not for the first time.
A spokesman said Khan “has more important things to do than respond to Donald Trump’s ill-informed tweet.”
Trump poured scorn on Khan’s attempt to reassure the public after three assailants smashed a van into pedestrians on London Bridge then attacked revelers with knives.
“At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is ‘no reason to be alarmed!’” the US president said in one tweet.
Trump said the attack showed it was time to “stop being politically correct and get down to the business of security for our people,” after tweeting the night before — as the scenes of panic in London were still unfolding — that it underscored the need for his contested “travel ban” on several Muslim-majority nations.
Khan, in an interview with BBC just hours after the attack, had said, “My message to Londoners and visitors to our great city is to be calm and vigilant today. You will see an increased police presence today, including armed officers and uniformed officers. There is no reason to be alarmed by this.”
Responding Sunday to Trump’s criticism, a Khan spokesman issued a pointed statement saying that the mayor — busy coordinating a response to the attack even while reassuring Londoners and visitors — had “more important things to do than respond to Donald Trump’s ill-informed tweet that deliberately takes out of context his remarks.”
'Nasty and unbecoming'
The attack in central London came just weeks after a suicide bombing at a concert in Manchester left 22 dead, and it recalled an attack in March when a man drove a car into pedestrians near the seat of Parliament, killing five.
It was not the first time Trump has been accused of using a terror attack to make a political point, and with Londoners still in shock Sunday, the president’s tweets drew angry responses on both sides of the Atlantic.
David Lammy, a Labour Party member of Parliament, tweeted: “Cheap nasty & unbecoming of a national leader. Sort of thing that makes me want to quit politics on a day like this. Evil everywhere we look.”
In the United States, former vice president Al Gore told CNN that “I don’t think that a major terrorist attack like this is the time to criticize a mayor who is trying to organize his city’s response to this attack.”
Regarding Trump’s plug for his contested travel ban — which has been blocked by the courts — Cecillia Wang, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, tweeted, “We need to be outraged when the president exploits a terrible violent crime to push his discriminatory and illegal policy.”
Last June, after the deadly shooting attack on a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, Trump had tweeted: “Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don’t want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart!“
That tweet drew angry rebukes from critics saying that the immediate aftermath of an attack that left 49 people dead was not a time for a president to be “basking in congratulations.”
Outrage as Trump targets London mayor over attacks
Outrage as Trump targets London mayor over attacks
Palestinian envoy pledges return to UN’s founding ideals in his bid for presidency of General Assembly
- Riyad Mansour presents a vision for his candidacy grounded in the 3 core pillars of the UN: human rights, development, and peace and security
- World of today ‘needs more, not less, United Nations,’ he says. ‘It needs us to honor our commitments … uphold our responsibilities … respect the rules of international law’
As Palestine’s envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, launched his candidacy for president of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, he urged member states to recommit, at this time of growing global division, to multilateral cooperation, the principles of international law and the founding ideals of the UN.
Mansour, whose candidacy was endorsed by the UN’s Arab Group, presented a vision grounded in the three core pillars of the UN: human rights, development, and peace and security.
In his vision statement, he said: “The world we live in today needs more, not less, United Nations. It needs us to honor our commitments, not renege on them; to uphold our responsibilities, not abandon them; to respect the rules of international law, not grow accustomed to their breach.”
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly begins in September, and the election of its president will take place on June 2 in the General Assembly Hall at the UN headquarters in New York. In accordance with the established regional rotation of the position, the next president will be chosen from among the Asia-Pacific group of states.
Two others candidates have announced their intentions to stand so far: veteran diplomats Touhid Hossain from Bangladesh and Andreas S. Kakouris from Cyprus.
Mansour, who has served as the permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the UN since 2005, framed his candidacy through the lens of personal experience, describing himself as “a refugee, a migrant, the son of a steelworker,” who had lived through conflict, poverty and displacement.
“I know what it means when the United Nations is at its best, and I know only too well its shortcomings,” he said.
In his vision, Mansour reflected on the origins of the UN in the aftermath of a global conflict, describing the institution as a response to humanity’s “darkest moments” and a platform designed to replace war with cooperation.
He credited the General Assembly with enabling collective action that has delivered tangible gains, including advances in development, health, human rights and environmental protections.
“Together, we rejected the impulses of war and destruction and chose cooperation, common security and shared prosperity,” he said, citing milestones such as the Millennium Development Goals, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and international agreements on climate change, disarmament and gender equality.
Despite those achievements, however, Mansour warned that many pledges have not been kept and trust in the international system is eroding.
“Too many promises remain unfulfilled, and too much suffering continues,” he said. “The international order has grown increasingly uncertain, and the ideals of the United Nations are too often left unenforced.”
He cautioned against a return to a world in which “conflict prevails over dialogue” and “coercion replaces diplomacy,” arguing that the scale of present-day crises — from armed conflict and humanitarian emergencies to climate change and technological risks — requires a renewed, collective resolve.
“We cannot risk a return to a world where disorder undermines the rule of international law,” Mansour said. “We must rise above division and recommit to partnership.”
He called for reforms within the UN system itself with the aim of improving efficiency, inclusivity and engagement, saying that such changes were necessary to restore confidence in the organization’s ability to deliver peace and security.
“This moment demands engagement grounded in mutual interest and sustained by persistent action,” he said, adding that reform was essential “to restore trust in our United Nations and its enduring capacity to contribute to international peace and security.”
He described his vision as pragmatic rather than ideological, shaped by decades of multilateral diplomacy and a belief in the UN as “an anchor for a more peaceful and just world.”
He continued: “At a time of profound strain on the multilateral system, my vision seeks to mobilize member states and stakeholders to preserve and safeguard what we have accomplished, and to pursue progress with urgency, so that dignity, opportunity and hope are extended to all.”
The president of the General Assembly is elected annually and is responsible for presiding over its sessions, representing its decisions, and facilitating negotiations among member states.
