WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, in a flurry of Sunday morning tweets on the London attacks, criticized the city’s mayor and bemoaned what Trump described as political correctness when it comes to national security.
The attacks killed seven people in a busy section of London and wounded about 50 people.
Trump went after London Mayor Sadiq Khan for saying there was “no reason to be alarmed.” Khan did use those words in a television interview, but it was to reassure Londoners about a stepped up police presence they might see: “No reason to be alarmed. One of things the police and all of us need to do to make sure we are as safe as we possibly can be,” Khan said.
The president, who used his initial response late Saturday to promote his travel ban that courts have blocked, returned again to national security.
We need to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2017
We must stop being politically correct and get down to the business of security for our people. If we don’t get smart it will only get worse
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2017
His administration asked the Supreme Court last week to immediately reinstate his proposed ban on travelers from six mostly Muslim countries and refugees from anywhere in the world. The administration argues that the U.S. will be safer if the policy is put in place.
Lower courts have blocked the Trump policy, citing various reasons including statements Trump made during the 2016 campaign.
The legal fight pits the president’s authority over immigration against what lower courts have said is a policy that purported to be about national security but was intended to target Muslims.
In the final tweet in his morning series, Trump noted that the London attackers used a van to slam into pedestrians and then assaulted people with knives.
“Did you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That’s because they used knives and a truck.”