President Trump on Tuesday dismissed protests of his state visit in the United Kingdom as “fake news,” while bashing two British politicians for being overly critical of him.
During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump claimed that he’d only seen “thousands of people” cheering during his visit thus far, as well as a “small protest” earlier Tuesday.
{mosads}”So a lot of it is fake news, I hate to say,” he said.
“It was tremendous spirit and love,” he said of the crowds. “There was great love. It was an alliance. And I didn’t see the protesters until just a little while ago, and it was a very small group of people put in for political reasons. So it was fake news.”
Trump is deeply unpopular in the United Kingdom, with a favorability rating of 21 percent, according to a YouGov U.K. survey.
Multiple outlets in London have reported that as many as 250,000 people may attend protests scheduled for Tuesday as demonstrators object to Trump’s visit. By Tuesday morning, many protesters had gathered and a “Trump Baby” blimp had taken flight in Trafalgar Square.
The president and some of his advisers were heckled as they exited 10 Downing Street to head to Tuesday’s press conference.
It is possible that Trump has not been exposed to the protests as he has spent the vast majority of his time in central London, where police established a large security perimeter in anticipation of his visit.
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has been critical of the president and planned to attend Tuesday’s protests.
Trump said during the press conference that he turned down a request from Corbyn to meet, and criticized him for being too negative.
“I think that people should look to do things correctly as opposed to criticize,” the president said. “I really don’t like critics as much as I like and respect people who get things done.”
Trump also took another jab at London Mayor Sadiq Khan. The mayor has been a fierce critic of the president’s policies, and penned an op-ed calling it “un-British” to roll out the red carpet for Trump.
“I think he’s been a not very good mayor from what I understand,” Trump said Tuesday. “He’s done a poor job.”
“I don’t think he should be criticizing a representative of the United States who can do so much good for the United Kingdom,” the president continued. “He’s a negative force not a positive force, and if you look at what he said, he hurts the people of this great country.”