Trump again misrepresents London mayor’s statement on attack

Washington • President Donald Trump for a second day lashed out at London's mayor on Twitter in the wake of a deadly terror attack in the city.

Trump stated on Twitter Monday morning that London Mayor Sadiq Khan had offered a "pathetic excuse" and "had to think fast on his 'no reason to be alarmed' statement."

Trump's tweet renews his mischaracterization of Khan's statement to London residents after a vehicle and knife attack that left seven people dead and dozens injured. The mayor had told London residents not to be concerned by a stepped-up police presence in the city after the incident.

In a Sunday tweet, Trump mischaracterized Khan's remarks by suggesting the mayor had said there was "no reason to be alarmed" about the attack itself. Khan's spokesman said he was too busy to respond to Trump's "ill-informed" tweet.

On Monday, a spokesman for Khan responded to the latest statement from Trump, saying: "Nothing has changed since yesterday." He said: "The mayor is focused on dealing with Saturday's horrific and cowardly attack and working with the police, the emergency services and the government to keep London safe."

Asked if Trump was wrong to make the comments, British Prime Minister Theresa May said at a news conference Monday that "Sadiq Khan is doing a good job and it's wrong to say anything else. He's doing a good job."

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Monday that Trump was not "picking a fight with the mayor of London at all." She also pushed back against criticism that the president had mischaracterized Khan's remarks, saying that "the media wants to spin it that way." Asked if Trump was criticizing the mayor of London because he is Muslim, Sanders said that was "utterly ridiculous."