US politician JD Vance just said London is not “fully English anymore”.
The Republican senator for Ohio, who is Donald Trump’s running mate in the presidential race, is known for courting controversy.
And, with just days left before the US electorate head to the polls, Vance has chosen to take aim at the UK capital.
Speaking on The Tim Dillon Show over the weekend, the potential future vice president of the US waxed lyrical about London’s diversity.
“This is sort of what globalisation does, right?” He said.
“And this is what I really worry about. It’s like, London doesn’t feel fully English to me anymore, right?”
The senator then moved on to praise New York, speaking shortly before a Trump Republican rally in the city’s Madison Square – and made international headlines when his allies made vulgar and racist remarks on stage.
Vance said: “New York, of course, is like the classic American city. Over time, I think New York will start to feel less American. Everything becomes flattened, and becomes the same.
“Real diversity actually is like, I kind of like to go to a different place and have it be different.”
Podcast host Dillon asked: “You want Paris to be Paris?”
“Exactly. And not have it all feel the same. That I think is a diversity I can get behind,” Vance said.
The Republican has repeatedly attracted backlash ever since he was picked to be on the ticket with Trump.
He previously described Democratic leaders as “childless cat ladies” and claimed this week he was “so over” people getting offended by racist jokes.