Donald Trump Jr is facing a backlash for criticizing London mayor Sadiq Khan with a scornful tweet sent hours after an attack at the Houses of Parliament left four dead, including a police officer.
The US president’s eldest son (39) tweeted a link to a September 2016 story in the Independent , which quoted 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”.
It’s unclear if the 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 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.
The tweet earned strong criticisms in the US and the UK, including from Wes Streeting , the MP for Ilford North and former president of the National Union of Students.
“You use a terrorist attack on our city to attack London’s Mayor for your own political gain. You’re a disgrace,” Streeting wrote.
“Is this helpful @DonaldJTrumpJr?” tweeted Ciaran Jenkins, a correspondent with Channel 4 News. “Did you even read the article before goading London’s Mayor during a live incident?”
“Headline is based on very first sentence, which if you’d bothered to read it could apply to any major city in the world,” Jenkins added.
