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Trump Told May No UK Visit Unless She Promised 'Warm Welcome': Report

Thousands of protesters with placards take part in a demonstration against U.S. President Donald Trump on Whitehall on February 4, 2017 in London, England. (Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

Trump Told May No UK Visit Unless She Promised 'Warm Welcome': Report

British activists vowed to ensure that the U.S. president's demand goes unmet if he ultimately decides to make the trip

Amid news that U.S. President Donald Trump is still planning to visit the United Kingdom this year despite having canceled his trip earlier this month, a new report published this week revealed that Trump told U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May in a recent phone call that he would not travel to the country unless promised "a warm welcome."

"The Stop Trump Coalition has already put Trump off coming to London twice, and we look forward to making the third time also unlucky."
--Nick Dearden, Global Justice Now

Bloomberg, citing sources within May's office, was first to publish the details of the conversation and Trump's remarks, which some interpreted as a call for a ban on anti-Trump demonstrations.

Trump also reportedly complained at length to May that he has been treated badly by the British press.

"May responded to say such treatment was simply the way the British press operate, and there wasn't much she could do," Bloomberg reported. "In the secure bunker underneath the prime minister's office, her advisers listened in to the call in astonishment at Trump's demand."

When Trump canceled his visit to the U.K. earlier this month, he justified the move with a convoluted and factually inaccurate Twitter rant about the location and cost of the new U.S. embassy in London.

Critics didn't buy this explanation and were quick to argue that Trump--who has in the past referred to peaceful American demonstrators as "professional anarchists, thugs, and paid protesters"--canceled his trip because he realized the British citizenry would not welcome him with open arms.

Following reports that Trump and May are "finalizing the details" of the U.S. president's visit, Nick Dearden, director of the U.K.-based group Global Justice Now--one of the dozen-plus organizations that make up the Stop Trump Coalition--vowed in a statement on Thursday to make sure Trump's demand for "warm" reception goes unmet.

"The Stop Trump Coalition has already put Trump off coming to London twice, and we look forward to making the third time also unlucky," Dearden said. "If he does come, make no mistake, there will be massive demonstrations and protests to show exactly how we feel about this U.S. president, and give voice to those who he has attacked and demeaned."

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