U.S. President Donald Trump pulled few punches in a press conference with Prime Minister Theresa May, branding Britain’s hard-left opposition leader a “negative force”.
Official opposition party Labour’s leader Jeremy Corbyn made a show of refusing to attend a state banquet for President Trump — despite having cheerfully attended one for China’s communist dictator — and today gave a speech to an anti-Trump rally in which he complained about the American leader criticising London mayor Sadiq Khan “on the wonderful [Islamic] festival of Eid”.
Journalists asked the President what he thought about Mr Corbyn having defended Khan and “criticised your record on refugees”.
On the subject of Mayor Khan, who branded Mr Trump “far right” and compared him to a “20th-century fascist” before the President hit back, he remained unequivocal: “I think he’s been a not very good mayor, from what I understand. He’s done a poor job, crime is up, lotta problems,” he stated bluntly.
“I don’t think he should be criticising a representative of the United States that can do so much good for the United Kingdom,” he added.
“He should be positive, not negative. He’s a negative force, not a positive force, and if you look at what he said he hurts the people of this great country, and I think he should actually focus on his job; it would be a lot better if he did that, he could straighten out some of the problems that he has, and probably some of the problems that he’s caused,” he added.
Perhaps more interestingly, he revealed that while Mr Corbyn made hay with his public refusal to attend the state banquet for Mr Trump, he still sough a private meeting with the American leader — but was himself rejected.
“He wanted to meet with me and I told him no,” the President said.
“I don’t know Jeremy Corbyn, never met him, never spoke to him. He wanted to meet today or tomorrow and I decided I would not do that,” he continued.
“I think he is, from where I come from, somewhat of a negative force; I think that people should look to do things correctly as opposed to criticise. I really don’t like critics as much as I like and respect people that get things done — so I’ve decided not to meet [him], he explained.
The President also indicated that he had seen many supporters “waving the American flag, waving the [British] flag” and commended the “tremendous spirit” and “love” between the United States and the United Kingdom — the country of his mother’s births — and appeared to dismiss the protests against him as exaggerated, “put in for political reasons [and] fake news.”