Theresa May from Bognor demands Trump apologise for terror tweet

The US President mistakenly tagged Theresa May Scrivener from a seaside town in West Sussex in a tweet aimed at the British Prime Minister

(FILES) This file photo taken on January 27, 2017 shows US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May walking to a press conference at the White House in Washington, DC.
Britain was reeling Thursday after US President Donald Trump castigated Prime Minister Theresa May over her rebuke to him for posting anti-Muslim tweets, but the government sought to play down the row. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan Smialowski
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Theresa May Scrivener, a Twitter user from Bognor Regis who was mistakenly tagged in a tweet sent by Donald Trump aimed at the British Prime Minister, has said she is waiting for an apology from the US President.

Using his favourite information sharing platform, Mr Trump fired back at Mrs May in a tweet sent late on Wednesday night after she criticised him for sharing anti-Muslim videos shared by a British far-right group.

In his original tweet, Mr Trump wrote: “Theresa @theresamay don’t focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!”

However, he had unwittingly tagged in a different Theresa May, not the British Prime Minister, whose twitter handle is @theresa_may. After leaving the original tweet up for around 20 minutes, Mr Trump later deleted it, tagging in the correct Theresa May in an edited message.

The incident came as a shock to 41-year-old Theresa May Scrivener from the seaside town of Bognor on the UK’s south coast, who has just six Twitter followers.

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“I wasn’t really sure what to make of it,” she told the Press Association. “I was in bed by half 10 last night and oblivious to it all. It has been very surreal. I haven’t been able to leave my house. I’ve been bombarded and been contacted by press from around the world.

“It’s amazing to think that the world’s most powerful man managed to press the wrong button,” Ms Scrivener added. “I’m just waiting for a call from the White House with an apology.”

Mr Trump caused outrage across Britain on Wednesday when he retweeted three unverified videos shared by the deputy leader of anti-Muslim hate group Britain First.

The move prompted Mrs May to release a statement, saying it was "wrong" for the president to have shared the videos.