WASHINGTON (AP) -A White House spokesman is defending President Donald Trump’s retweets of videos purporting to show violence being committed by Muslims, saying, “It’s never the wrong time to talk about security and safety for the American people.”
Raj Shah spoke to reporters Wednesday aboard Air Force One as Trump travels to Missouri.
The retweets of videos from a fringe British political group have drawn swift condemnation from civil rights groups as well as a spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May.
Trump sent the Twitter messages Wednesday morning. The videos were first posted by Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of the far-right group Britain First.
The descriptions read: “VIDEO: Islamist mob pushes teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!” and “VIDEO: Muslim Destroys a Statue of Virgin Mary!” and “VIDEO: Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!”
After Trump retweeted the videos, Fransen quickly responded on Twitter, saying: “DONALD TRUMP HIMSELF HAS RETWEETED THESE VIDEOS AND HAS AROUND 44 MILLION FOLLOWERS! GOD BLESS YOU TRUMP! GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
Shah says Trump has long raised security and immigration issues in speeches and tweets. He argues that the videos are nothing different.
Shah says “The president is the president of all Americans.” He says the tweets “were about national security and protecting” Americans.
May’s spokesman, James Slack, said Britain First seeks to divide communities through its use of “hateful narratives which peddle lies and stoke tensions.” He said “it is wrong for the president to have done this.”
But May’s office said an invitation for Trump to pay a state visit to Britain was not being withdrawn. Opposition politicians are calling for the visit to be canceled after the far-right retweets.