David Cameron should apologise for calling Donald Trump “divisive, stupid and wrong”, a foreign policy adviser to the Republican frontrunner has said.
The billionaire’s team was shocked to be attacked by the prime minister, George Papadopoulos told The Times. The lawyer, who is advising Mr Trump on Europe and the Middle East, revealed that the likely Republican candidate was considering a tour of both regions but that he had yet to be invited to Britain by the government.
Mr Cameron rejected calls to ban Mr Trump from the UK after the tycoon proposed barring Muslims from the US but said that his remarks were “divisive stupid and wrong”. “I think if he came to visit our country he’d unite us all against him,” Mr Cameron told the Commons in December.
As Mr Trump all but secured his party’s nomination by winning the Indiana primary last night, British diplomats are rushing to mend fences. Mr Papadopoulos, one of a five-strong team of foreign policy advisers named by Mr Trump in March, said that any overture would be welcomed, as long as it came with an apology.
“First we need an invitation,” he said. “Of course if the United Kingdom extended an invitation it would be a tremendous show of unity and a wonderful spectacle. That invitation has not yet been extended... but if it is it would be received in a positive way.”
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Asked if Mr Trump would forgive Mr Cameron’s attack, he said: “I can’t speak directly for him but it would seem that if prime minister Cameron is serious about reaching out, not only to Mr Trump’s advisers but to the man himself, an apology or some sort of retraction should happen.
“It’s unfortunate that prime minister Cameron was one of the most outspoken critics of Mr Trump. Not even the Chinese premier came out with negative statements, or other European leaders,” Mr Papadopoulos said. “To see Mr Cameron come out as the most vocal opponent was uncalled for. Considering that we believe that the UK-US relationship should be a cornerstone not just of Nato policy but elsewhere it would be wise for him to reach out in a more positive manner to Mr Trump.”
Mr Papadopoulos, who is based in London, criticised President Obama for allowing the UK-US relationship to deteriorate. The government has been accused of kowtowing to Beijing to win Chinese investment for British infrastructure, including a new generation of nuclear power stations.
“We believe that if the US engages heavily with the UK once again the UK won’t lean so heavily towards China as it has over the last year or so,” he said.
Mr Obama’s intervention in the EU referendum campaign was a “blunder of historic proportions”, according to Mr Papadopoulos. “The will of the people is paramount in this decision. Whether the UK remains in a reformed EU or opts for Brexit the relationship with the US will survive, adapt and remain resilient,” he said. “Mr Trump has no opinion — it is for the British people to decide.”
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Mr Trump will seek Britain’s help in ensuring that EU nations meet the 2 per cent Nato benchmark for defence spending, he said, because if they refused the alliance would “self-destruct”.