White House says
Trump and May did not discuss UK trip
BEDMINSTER,
United States, June 12, 2017 (AFP) - The White House said Sunday that President
Donald Trump did not discuss a trip to Britain with Prime Minister Theresa May
in their most recent telephone call, with officials denying plans had changed.
Trump has been invited to make a
coveted state visit, pencilled in for autumn, but no dates have been set, amid
political turmoil in London and fears that the US president would be greeted by
mass protests.
Trump was already a deeply unpopular
figure in Britain before he criticized London mayor Sadiq Khan when he was
managing the response to a major terror attack.
Britain's Guardian newspaper group
poured doubt over the trip Sunday, reporting that Trump told May in a phone
call in recent weeks that he does not want to go ahead with a state visit until
the British public supports him coming.
White
House officials say few discussions about the trip have taken place and Trump's
travel schedule is already filling up.
The president is expected to travel to
Poland and Germany next month and has agreed to attend summits in the
Philippines and Vietnam. There have also been discussions about visit Japan and
perhaps South Korea.
A senior administration official said
May and Trump did not discuss the issue when they spoke by telephone on Friday,
although they have on earlier calls. A Downing Street spokeswoman said the
invitation was still on the table, but offered no timeframe.
"We aren't going to comment on
speculation about the contents of private phone conversations. The Queen
extended an invitation to President Trump to visit the UK and there is no
change to those plans."
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