Piers Morgan argues with Sadiq Khan over baby Donald Trump air balloon

Piers Morgan and Sadiq Khan engage in heated debate over Donald Trump’s visit to the UK. (REX)
Piers Morgan and Sadiq Khan engage in heated debate over Donald Trump’s visit to the UK. (REX)

Piers Morgan argued with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on Good Morning Britain today, over the baby Trump air balloon that’ll fly this week.

With an anti-Trump protest to be held this Friday during his controversial visit to the UK, Khan went on GMB to discuss the idea of allowing protesters to fly a giant orange blimp of a nappy-wearing Trump across the capital’s skies.

Naturally, presenter Morgan, 53, was eager to question Khan’s, 47, agenda and his political reasoning behind the protests and the blimp itself.

The pair got into a fiery exchange, as Morgan persisted to interrupt and shout over Khan.

People inflate a helium filled Donald Trump blimp which they hope to deploy during The President of the United States’ upcoming visit, in London. (REUTERS/Simon Dawson)
People inflate a helium filled Donald Trump blimp which they hope to deploy during The President of the United States’ upcoming visit, in London. (REUTERS/Simon Dawson)

‘My point about anybody – whether President Trump or any world leader – is just because they might find it objectionable to be ridiculed doesn’t mean we can’t curtail our right to a protest,’ London’s Major told Morgan and co-host Susanna Reid, 47.

‘My point is you’ve endorsed this to be flying at Parliament!’ Morgan snapped back.

As a well-known ‘friend’ of the president – having appeared on a series of his reality show Celebrity Apprentice in the US – Morgan was concerned about how it would affect UK and US relations and if it would upset Trump.

‘So the images that will go around the world on Trump’s visit, which is a very important visit for this country as we come through Brexit.

‘We are going to need a good trade deal with America, he’s signalled he’s prepared to give us one, and the image that will go around the world is going to be him in a nappy as a baby.’

Sadiq Khan appeared on Good Morning Britain to speak about the Donald Trump protest. (REX)
Sadiq Khan appeared on Good Morning Britain to speak about the Donald Trump protest. (REX)

Clearly unhappy with UK protesters mocking Trump, he also said: ‘Let me ask you a question: if this president was Barack Obama and someone came to you with a crowdfunded plan because they didn’t agree with his drone strike policy for example – a perfectly legitimate way to criticise Obama, and they wanted to fly a giant, 20-foot, black baby of Obama, topless, in a nappy – would you have endorsed that?’

Khan calmly answered Morgan’s baiting questions over the obtuse and hypothetical comparison: ‘It’s not for me to be the censor,’ he said. ‘It’s asking whether it’s peaceful and if it’s safe. It’s a hypothetical case. If it’s peaceful and it’s safe, yes.’

He went on to attempt to further rile the Mayor, by bringing religion into it: ‘Would you have endorsed an image of you as a pig which is very offensive to Muslims?’

‘If it’s peaceful, if it’s safe, yes,’ Sadiq diplomatically said. ‘It’s not for me to decide whether it’s in good taste or bad taste.’

He then went on to put Morgan in his place by questioning his approach to free speech and the right to protest: ‘Are you honestly saying that the right to protest, the right to assemble, the right to free speech, is limited by the ridicule it might cause somebody else?

‘You’re a journalist for goodness sake. You used to be an editor.’

Sadiq Khan explains why the British people have a right to peacefully protest. (REX)
Sadiq Khan explains why the British people have a right to peacefully protest. (REX)

He continued: ‘My views are irrelevant. The issue is do they have freedom to protest and should they be allowed to do so? If it’s peaceful and it’s safe they should, Piers.’

Morgan has long played up his relationship with Trump from before he was president, and even interviewed him in a chat that was widely mocked for how easy he went on him.

Trump previously blasted Khan in the wake of terrorist attacks, tweeting about the Mayor and said in one tweet: ‘We must stop being politically correct and get down to the business of security for our people. If we don’t get smart it will only get worse.’

Catch GMB weekdays, from 6.30am, on ITV1.

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