Winston Churchill’s grandson calls Trump a ‘daft twerp’
Winston Churchill’s grandson called President Trump a “daft twerp” on Twitter, criticizing the president for his comments connecting the U.K.’s rise in crime to “radical Islamic terror.”
Nicholas Soames, Churchill’s grandson and a member of parliament affiliated with the Conservative party, replied to Trump’s tweet in which the president cited new U.K. crime statistics and wrote that “we must keep America safe.”
Just out report: “United Kingdom crime rises 13% annually amid spread of Radical Islamic terror.” Not good, we must keep America safe!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2017
Soames’s response was condensed into a single hashtag: “#Thenfixguncontrolyoudafttwerp.”
#thenfixguncontrolyoudafttwerp
— Nicholas Soames (@NSoames) October 20, 2017
Trump is a fan of Churchill, having reinstalled a bust of the prime minister in the Oval Office after taking office.
{mosads}
The study that Trump cited does not show a link between the rise in crime and terrorism, noting that out of the 664 homicides recorded, only 35 were a result of terror attacks. U.K. officials said that the rise was likely because of better crime reporting.
Trump has drawn ire in the past for his comments on crime and terrorism in the U.K., criticizing London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s response to terror attacks in the city earlier this year.
Soames isn’t the only prominent British political figure slamming Trump’s tweet.
Jo Swinson, deputy leader of the U.K.’s Liberal Democrats political party, said the kind of “populist xenophobia” that Trump’s rhetoric inspires is responsible for the rise in hate crimes.
“Stop misleading and spreading fear,” Swinson said, according to Bloomberg. “Hate crime is up and it is fueled by the kind of populist xenophobia you peddle.”
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