Trump's vice president pick JD Vance called UK 'first Islamist country to get nuke' in shocking clip
Former President Donald Trump made the last-minute decision to pick a freshman senator from Ohio as his prospective Vice President, but 39-year-old J.D. Vance has made inflammatory comments about the UK
Recent comments made by former President Trump's surprise pick for running mate, first-term Senator J.D. Vance, have emerged where he calls the UK the world's first "Islamist country" with nuclear weapons. Trump announced the shock pick for VP on Monday, in the wake of the attempt made on his life at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.
Describing a bizarre conversation with a friend, the 39-year-old Ohio Senator, who could become US Vice President in less than six months, said he had been wondering which "truly Islamist country" would be the first to gain access to nuclear weapons. In the speech to America's extreme right, Vance said: "We finally decided that it's actually the UK - since Labour just took over," to laughs from the crowd.
The shocking statement, made more bizarre by the fact that Islamic Pakistan has had functional nuclear weapons for more than a quarter of a century, was made after Labour won a landslide victory in the July 4 General Election. Senator Vance made the comments at this week's National Conservatism conference, which is a focal point for America's nationalist right wing, running parallel to the Republican National Convention.
READ MORE: Donald Trump picks former critic JD Vance as VP nominee in major twist after assassination attempt
Senior British politicians are in the US this week for the Milwaukee Republican convention, with former PM Liz Truss and new MP Nigel Farage both set to make an appearance as Donald Trump is crowned as the party's prospective nominee, alongside his pick for VP who believes the UK is an Islamist country.
This could make any returning Trump administration more difficult to deal with for the new Labour Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who is said to have made efforts in recent months to patch up diplomatic relations between Labour and the Trump movement. In a show of political empathy and a sign of things to come, Sir Keir Starmer even phoned candidate Trump, after a would-be assassin shot him at a campaign rally on Saturday.
These comments could put strain on the UK's "special relationship" with the United States, which has seen both countries align on foreign policy for much of the post-war era.
However, Politico Europe has reported that Vance and Lammy have met "multiple times recently", with the UK Foreign Secretary said to be a fan of the Senator's book-turned-movie 'Hillbilly Elegy'.
At the National Conservatism conference, the prospective vice presidential candidate said in full: "By the way, I have to beat up on the UK for one additional thing. I was talking with a friend recently and we were talking about one of the big dangers in the world of course is nuclear proliferation, and of course the Biden administration doesn't care about it."
"And I was talking about, you know, what is the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon? Maybe it is Iran, maybe Pakistan already kind of counts, and then we finally decided that it's actually the UK - since Labour just took over."
British journalist turned US political commentator Mehdi Hasan called the comments "brazen Islamophobia".
During Donald Trump's first appearance in public since the attempted assassination, the former President could be seen with a bandage covering his ear, as he emerged to raise his fist once again. The crowd at the RNC chanted "We love you Trump", as he stood with his new running mate J.D. Vance.
At the end of his remarks, Vance advised his "Tory friends" that they needed to "get a handle" on the rise of Labour, after the Conservative Party's dramatic drubbing in the General Election.
Announcing his decision to pick Vance as his VP, Trump said on his Truth Social platform: "After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio."
He went on to praise Vance's credentials, saying: "J.D. honourably served our Country in the Marine Corps, graduated from Ohio State University in two years, Summa Cum Laude, and is a Yale Law School Graduate, where he was Editor of The Yale Law Journal, and President of the Yale Law Veterans Association.
"J.D's book, 'Hillbilly Elegy,' became a Major bestseller and movie, as it championed the hardworking men and women of our country."