The logo for the Daily Beast's Obsessed website. It reads: 'Obsessed: What to Watch, Binge, See, & Skip'
DAILY BEAST
CrosswordNewsletters
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Obsessed
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDB's Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      CULTURE
      • Power Trip
      • Fashion
      • Books
      • Royalist
      TECH
      • Disinformation
      SCOUTED
      • Clothing
      • Technology
      • Beauty
      • Home
      • Pets
      • Kitchen
      • Fitness
      • I'm Looking For
      BEST PICKS
      • Best VPNs
      • Best Gaming PCs
      • Best Air Fryers
      COUPONS
      • Vistaprint Coupons
      • Ulta Coupons
      • Office Depot Coupons
      • Adidas Promo Codes
      • Walmart Promo Codes
      • H&M Coupons
      • Spanx Promo Codes
      • StubHub Promo Codes
      Products
      NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
      FOLLOW US
      GOT A TIP?

      SEARCH

      HOMEPAGE
      Europe

      Racist Tweet Reignites Trump’s Feud With London’s Muslim Mayor

      WELCOME IN

      A politician from Britain’s ruling Conservative Party posted a since-deleted tweet welcoming Trump to London with Islamophobic imagery.

      Nico Hines

      World Editor

      Updated Jul. 12, 2018 5:54PM ET / Published Jul. 12, 2018 5:45PM ET 

      Isabel Infantes/Getty

      LONDON—He just wanted to make Donald Trump feel at home, but a British lawmaker has reignited the president’s rumbling feud with London’s first Muslim mayor by tweeting an inflammatory and wildly Islamophobic cartoon.

      Michael Fabricant, who has been one of the few parliamentarians to speak out in favor of Trump’s visit to Britain, overstepped the mark within hours of Air Force One touching down in the country. He tweeted an image of the mayor being violated from behind by a pig while Trump laughed along.

      White House advisers would have hoped to get through the two-day visit to England without Trump’s aggression towards Sadiq Khan, London’s Labour mayor, being dragged back into the news. Trump and Khan have had a long-running feud that has seen the U.S. president target the son of a Pakistani bus driver as soft on terrorism.

      Khan has given as good as he got from Trump, hitting him for the “shameful and cruel” Muslim travel ban and arguing that the U.S. president should not be invited to Britain.

      Last week, Khan approved a request from protesters to fly a giant inflatable “Trump baby” balloon over Westminster. The 19-foot-high orange inflatable depicts a snarling Trump wearing nothing but a diaper.

      Fabricant, a Conservative Member of Parliament, responded immediately to the mayor’s approval by suggesting the U.S. embassy invite a sniper onto its roof to shoot down the balloon.

      On Thursday, as Trump arrived in Britain, Fabricant continued to attack the protesters as hypocrites and fantasized about shooting the inflatable.

      His goading went too far later in the day when he posted an image of Trump laughing in front of the Houses of Parliament as a balloon pig with Khan’s face on it was mounted by a second inflatable pig. The Quran describes pigs as “impure” and eating pork is forbidden in Islam.

      Fabricant added the comment: “Well, what can I say.”

      He deleted the image soon after posting it but not before stunned Twitter users had screen-grabbed the cartoon.

      Amid calls for him to be suspended from the Conservative Party, Fabricant claimed that he had not seen Khan’s face in the image.

      “My fault was not checking it closer on my iPhone first. Moral of the story, don’t examine a picture on a small screen,” he said to Politics Home.

      Labour Member of Parliament Chuka Ummuna said Fabricant’s tweet was an example of Islamophobia, which he believes is endemic in the Conservative Party.

      Despite such allegations, Prime Minister Theresa May has been among the British Conservatives who spoke out against Trump when he announced his Muslim travel ban last year.

      May also attacked Trump for retweeting Islamophobic propaganda videos posted by far-right street protesters Britain First.

      When Khan was elected as the first mayor of a Western capital in May 2016, the Britain First candidate Paul Golding turned his back on the new mayor as he delivered his acceptance speech.

      Understandably, Khan then reacted with fury upon seeing Trump amplify their message of bigotry last year.

      Trump attacked Khan’s response when London was hit by a series of terror attacks in 2016.

      Nico Hines

      World Editor

      @nicohinesnico.hines@thedailybeast.com

      Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

      READ THIS LIST

      DAILY BEAST
      • Cheat Sheet
      • Politics
      • Entertainment
      • Media
      • World
      • Innovation
      • U.S. News
      • Scouted
      • Travel
      • Subscription
      • Crossword
      • Newsletters
      • Podcasts
      • About
      • Contact
      • Tips
      • Jobs
      • Advertise
      • Help
      • Privacy
      • Code of Ethics & Standards
      • Diversity
      • Terms & Conditions
      • Copyright & Trademark
      • Sitemap
      • Best Picks
      • Coupons
      • Coupons:
      • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
      • HP Coupon Codes
      • Chewy Promo Codes
      • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
      • NordVPN Coupons
      • JCPenny Coupons
      • Nordstrom Coupons
      • Samsung Promo Coupons
      • Home Depot Coupons
      • Hotwire Promo Codes
      • eBay Coupons
      • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
      © 2023 The Daily Beast Company LLC