ShortList is supported by you, our amazing readers. When you click through the links on our site and make a purchase we may earn a commission. Learn more

It doesn't look like the UK is going to have a very special relationship with Trump

Cameron & Khan both refuse to backtrack

It doesn't look like the UK is going to have a very special relationship with Trump
16 May 2016

Donald Trump has addressed the heavyweight political arena of ITV's Good Morning Britain to declare that America and the UK are "not going to have a very good relationship" if he becomes President.

Following criticism of his campaign by both Prime Minister David Cameron and the newly-elected Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Trump appeared on the show to discuss a future working relationship, given that he is now the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party in November's US elections.

After Cameron had responded to Trump's call back in December last year to ban all Muslims from the United States, saying "I think his remarks are divisive, stupid and wrong and I think if he came to visit our country I think it'd unite us all against him," Trump told the show, "It looks like we're not going to have a very good relationship, who knows. I hope to have a good relationship with him, but it sounds like he's not willing to address the problem either."

After a member of the Trump camp had suggested that Cameron should apologise, he recently said that Trump "deserves our respect" for making it through the "gruelling nature of the primaries" but that he would not apologise, saying "What I said about Muslims, I won't change that view, I'm very clear that the policy idea that was put forward was wrong, is wrong and will remain wrong."

Chancellor George Osborne reiterated that view today, saying, "Of course we stand by what we said when he made it clear he didn't want to have Muslims coming into the US. But he's an American presidential candidate and we will talk to him because it's in our interests to talk to our allies like the United States of America."

Upon the election of Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London, Trump had suggested that he would make an "exception" to the Muslim ban to enable Khan to visit the country, but Khan said last week, "Donald Trump's 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. Donald Trump and those around him think that Western liberal values are incompatible with mainstream Islam - London has proved him wrong." 

Trump responded to this on Good Morning Britain, saying, "I am offended, he doesn't know me. I think they were very rude statements and, frankly, tell him I will remember those statements."

In true Trump style he challenged Khan to an IQ test, but in a rather brilliant response, a spokesman for Khan said that US voters would reject Trump's "ignorant, divisive and dangerous views, saying: "Ignorance is not the same thing as lack of intelligence."

Which, he should have added, if Trump actually was intelligent, he would know. .

Meanwhile, Trump backed the UK to leave the EU, saying, in contrast to Barack Obama, "It wouldn't make any difference to me whether they were in the EU or not. They certainly wouldn't be back of the queue, that I can tell you."

With Cameron still having four more years of his Premiership to run, and Khan the same as Mayor of London, this could lead to a sticky situation if Trump is - God forbid - elected in December. No one looks set to back down, so there's only way to settle it..... fight......

(Image: Rex)