Donald Trump and Theresa May inside the White House in January 2017
After it was reported that the president was skipping his planned visit to London because of the protests he would face, Trump offered an alternate - and extremely familiar - explanation: It's President Barack Obama's fault.
"Reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for "peanuts", only to build a new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars".
Trump referenced the new U.S. embassy in London as the reason for the cancellation, calling the move of the embassy from North to South London a "bad deal".
The move was announced in October 2008, when George W. Bush was president.
Battersea Labour MP Marsha De Cordova said Mr Trump was "scared to come to London because of all the peaceful protests he will face".
Some U.K. lawmakers had said Trump was not welcome in Britain after he re-tweeted videos from a far-right British group and criticized London Mayor Sadiq Khan following a terror attack a year ago.
However, Labour's rebukes to Trump did not go down well with foreign secretary Boris Johnson, who tweeted: "The US is the biggest single investor in the United Kingdom - yet Khan & Corbyn seem determined to put this crucial relationship at risk".
"We will not allow US-UK relations to be endangered by some puffed-up, pompous popinjay in City Hall", Johnson tweeted.
Khan was unmoved by the development.
Khan, the mayor of London and frequent foe of Trump, tweeted that Trump had "finally got the message" that he wasn't welcome in the British capital.
() - President Donald Trump's decision not to visit London next month to open the new US Embassy may be a relief to beleaguered British Prime Minister Theresa May.
May made sure she was the first world leader to visit him in Washington days after he took over at the White House.
Donald Trump keeps Iran nuclear deal alive by waiving economic sanctions
Trump said this is the last chance, and in the absence of an agreement, the U.S. would not remain a party to the deal. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said it was a "desperate attempt" to undermine a "solid" deal.
Chinese Trade With North Korea Tanks As Sanctions Take Their Toll
Without the participation of key parties in the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, such a meeting would not help resolve issue properly.
FCC To Investigate Hawaii's Terrifying False Ballistic Missile Alert
We ran out into the streets trying to find shelter and saw a few people sprinting toward the mall. According to the Governor of Hawaii , an employee pushed the "wrong button" during shift change.
Rachael Basak, 34 from South East London, said she was glad Trump had called off the trip. On a Facebook event page, more than 8,000 registered to attend a rally for an event that wasn't even scheduled.
During May's US trip a year ago, she extended an invitation to Trump to make a formal state visit - which includes pomp, pageantry and a banquet with Queen Elizabeth.
In November a year ago, Khan slammed Trump for retweeting anti-Muslim propaganda from a British far-right party, and suggested May shouldn't welcome Trump into their country for a state visit.
Trump's secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil boss Rex Tillerson, will come to open the U.S. embassy in his place.
Writing on Twitter, Mr Trump said he thought the embassy's move from Grosvenor Square in the prestigious Mayfair district of central London to Nine Elms, south of the Thames, was a "bad deal".
The American flag was removed this month from Grosvenor Square, where the USA embassy has been based since 1938 with the area known as "Little America" during World War 2. In 2009, it was given "listed" status which limits changes that can be made to the building's exterior because of its historical significance.
He added that the videos make it "increasingly clear that any official visit at all from President Trump to Britain would not be welcomed".
The most striking feature of the new embassy is a half-moon shaped moat surrounding it, which gives the 12-storey cube building a fortress-like feel. It signifies a new era of friendship between out two countries.
In fact, it was never certain that Trump would visit Britain, historically America's closest ally.
"I think Her Majesty the Queen is well capable of taking this American president - or indeed any American president - in her stride, as she has done over six remarkable decades", Johnson said.
The U.S. presence on Grosvenor Square goes back to the late 18th century, when future president John Adams was the first U.S. envoy to England. Some local residents opposed measures that they felt would detract from one of London's plushest neighbourhoods while others feared not enough was being done to ensure they would not be caught up in any attack.
Recommended News
-
14 January 2018Is 'The Post' Movie Based On A True Story?
The company, then struggling, was about to go public, and the male board members were afraid doing so would hurt them financially. He had also written the script for "The Fifth Estate", about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and worked on "The West Wing".
14 January 2018Trump to keep Iran nuclear deal alive for now
On Friday, Trump said the United States would withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal unless its "disastrous flaws" were fixed. Trump's decision avoided placing the United States in violation of the commitments it made in the landmark 2015 deal.
14 January 2018"How To Kill Someone" Internet Search Helps Police Arrest Texas Wife
The woman reportedly told investigators she was instructed to hide out in the bathroom until the masked man left the home. Police later found that Sandra Garner (right) had allegedly searched "how to kill somebody and not get caught". -
14 January 2018Trump's disparaging remarks bring some Miami Haitians to tears
Trump then reportedly said the USA should bring in more immigrants from countries like Norway. The African Union pointed out many Africans arrived in the U.S.as slaves.
14 January 2018How to beat Manchester City
And they have shored up their suspect defence by paying an eye-watering £75 million to Southampton for defender Virgil Van Dijk . The visitor's will travel to Merseyside without Gabriel Jesus and Phil Foden who are both now on the treatment table.
14 January 2018Hawaii Rep.: Missile alert sent to phones was false alarm
Hawaii , a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, has a population of about 1.4 million people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and is home to Pacific Command, the Navy's Pacific Fleet and other elements of the American military. -
14 January 2018Antonio Conte: Chelsea players "very tired"
Chelsea stayed in third place, behind second-place Manchester United on goal difference and 15 points off leader Manchester City . Conte says we suffered for playing so soon after the tough midweek game against Arsenal , and with numerous same players."LG ThinQ WK9 combines Google Assistant, awesome speakers and an 8" screen
Google recently overhauled the Google Home and Google Assistant apps , bringing these services to the forefront of the experience. One quarter of smart speaker owners report having a Google Assistant product such as Google Home or Google Home Mini.
14 January 2018Lenovo introduces its new Smart Display powered by Google Assistant
Lenovo is likely the most high profile name making a device for the platform, but JBL is throwing their hat in the ring, too. In November, Google launched out an upgrade that will permit you to employ Home devices in your house as intercom systems. -
14 January 2018Fiat Chrysler's New US Jobs Could Help It Avoid Big Fees
The company has announced a $1 billion investment into its manufacturing operations and a $2,000 bonus for over 60,000 US workers. The investment means 2,500 more jobs by 2020 and a $2,000 bonus for the automakers' 60,000 hourly and salaried workers.
14 January 2018Refreshed England aiming to continue the ODI revolution in series against Australia
Taylor expects Moeen Ali to have "more of an impact" in the one-day series, following a torrid Ashes with bat and ball. From an Australia perspective, the build-up to the series has been dominated by debate over a player not in the team.
14 January 2018È razzista, incompetente e bugiardo
Dichiarazione shock del presidente degli USA , Donald Trump , in un incontro nello studio Ovale con membri del Congresso . A loro avrebbe ribadito di non essere razzista, accusando i media di avere distorto le sue parole .
