Donald Trump has plunged the UK-US special relationship into chaos once again with a single tweet. He took to social media in response to the Parsons Green terror attack in London on 15 September. But the international response was very critical. And even Theresa May, who has faced criticism for failing to call out Trump before, rebuked him.
Not helpful
Trump tweeted:
Another attack in London by a loser terrorist.These are sick and demented people who were in the sights of Scotland Yard. Must be proactive!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2017
Speaking about Trump’s tweet in an interview that she gave in Downing Street, the Prime Minister said:
I never think it’s helpful for anybody to speculate on what is an ongoing investigation.
Solidarity or opportunism?
The US President used the latest London attack to promote his travel ban:
The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2017
But, as The Guardian pointed out, authorities had not publicly identified any suspects and no group or individual had claimed responsibility for the attack prior to Trump’s tweet. The US President, however, claimed that the perpetrators “were in the sights of Scotland Yard”.
This led former CIA chief of staff, Jeremy Bash, to say:
Now, either he was briefing out intelligence, sensitive intelligence, and spilling that out the public, which is totally inappropriate and damaging, or he was just flat wrong and making our best ally in the world look very, very bad.
Bash continued, highlighting the repercussions of Trump’s tweet:
Whenever there’s a division in the relationship, it’s not only bad for the UK, it’s very bad for the United States. That’s why I think you probably heard an audible gasp come from CIA headquarters, from the National Counterterrorism Centre.
Déjà Vu
This is not the first time the US has caused tensions with the UK over such matters. After the Manchester Arena attack in May, the UK temporarily stopped sharing intelligence with the US. This came in response to intelligence leaks. The New York Times had published leaked material relating to the ongoing investigation into the suicide bombing.
It’s also not the first time that Trump has criticised the UK’s counter-terrorism efforts. He tweeted criticism of London Mayor Sadiq Khan in response to terrorist attacks in London in June.
Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his "no reason to be alarmed" statement. MSM is working hard to sell it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2017
He took the opportunity then to justify his travel ban too. But a group of former top US security and state officials have said that the travel ban could do “long-term damage” to the country.
Strain in the special relationship
Commentators have outlined how damaging Trump’s “totally inappropriate” tweet is, both for the UK and the US. And his behaviour raises questions about how much the UK can trust the US with vital counter-terrorism intelligence sharing.
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Featured image via Gage Skidmore/Flickr and Teacher Dude/Flickr
