British activists are already mobilizing a massive protest against Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to London.
British Prime Minister Theresa May invited Trump to London last week after a 15-minute meeting during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, The Guardian reported.
In an interview on Sunday night with Piers Morgan, Trump said he plans to make a state visit to the U.K. in October, and possibly a “working visit” another time. An aide for Trump quickly told Morgan that a date had not yet been confirmed.
“I’ll be there. She [Theresa May] just invited me. Twice. State and working. One is a state, October,” said Trump.
A “Protest Trump’s visit” Facebook page by the Stop Trump Coalition began mobilizing protesters on Thursday, marking Oct. 1 as a placeholder date.
“It’s just been announced: Donald Trump is coming to Britain on a visit later this year. Let’s be ready ― and be prepared to take to the streets in the most incredible protest in our history,” said the post. By Sunday night, the page had some 22,000 people signed up to take to the streets, with another 62,000 marked as “interested.”
On Jan. 20, thousands of protesters gathered in London to demonstrate against Trump on the anniversary of his inauguration and for the women’s march. Last May, an online petition against the government’s plan to invite Trump on a state visit received more than 1.8 million signatures.
Trump canceled a trip to London for the official opening of the new U.S. embassy building earlier this month. The president said he was skipping the trip because he disapproved of the location and price of the new embassy:
The British press reported that the White House was worried about demonstrations.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has had a contentious relationship with Trump, said the president bailed on the trip because he “got the message” that Londoners don’t agree with his policies:
In the ITV interview on Sunday, Trump said he “gets along great” with May, adding: “I think I’m very popular in your country.”
“Let’s not be too hasty, Mr. President,” Piers replied.
“I know, but I believe that, I really do,” Trump said. “I get so much fan mail from people in your country. They love my sense of security. They love what I’m saying about many different things. We get tremendous support from people in the U.K.”
When asked what he would say to his critics, Trump replied: “I don’t care. I don’t care. ... I don’t say anything. You know why? I don’t care.”
