The White House on Sunday denied a report that President Donald Trump was delaying a planned trip to the United Kingdom.
The Guardian reported that Trump recently told British Prime Minister Theresa May over the phone that he was putting the tentative visit on hold due to concerns that he’d face protests, citing an unnamed British adviser present in the room during the call. The New York Times also reported Sunday that Trump was considering delaying a visit, citing two unnamed administration officials.
An anonymous senior Trump official told CNN that Trump did not float delaying his trip on a Friday call with May. An unnamed Trump administration official also denied to Reuters that Trump broached the subject.
May invited Trump to visit Britain this year shortly after he was inaugurated, but Trump has yet to firmly schedule a trip there. His administration briefly considered including the United Kingdom in a trip to Europe set for next month but ended up dropping that idea, according to the New York Times.
During the White House daily press briefing on Monday afternoon, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said that Trump had yet to schedule a trip to the UK and that he still plans on visiting the country. Spicer also said that Trump does not factor in his popularity in a country before agreeing to visit.
Trump has come under fire for his criticism of London’s mayor following a recent terrorist attack there. He criticized Sadiq Khan in a tweet for telling London residents not to be alarmed by increase police presence, taking Khan’s words out of context.
May’s office told Reuters that plans for a Trump visit have not changed.
“We aren’t going to comment on speculation about the contents of private phone conversations,” a spokeswoman for May told Reuters. “The queen extended an invitation to President Trump to visit the UK and there is no change to those plans.”
This post has been updated.
