Trump compares London hospital to ‘war zone' from knife attacks

US President Donald Trump has once again defended gun ownership in the United States by comparing a London hospital to a "war zone," because of knife violence, which according to him occurs despite tough gun laws in the United Kingdom.

During a speech at the annual National Rifle Association (NRA) convention in Dallas on Friday, Trump used a controversial argument to defend gun ownership, asking whether vans, trucks and cars, which have been used for attacks against people, should be banned.

“I recently read a story that in London — which has unbelievably tough gun laws — a once very prestigious hospital, right in the middle, is like a war zone for horrible stabbing wounds,” said the president.

"Yes, that’s right. They don’t have guns. They have knives. And, instead, there’s blood all over the floors of this hospital. They say it’s as bad as a military war zone hospital," Trump added, while he was stabbing the air several times with an imaginary knife, saying, “Knives, knives, knives.”

The president did not name the hospital he was referring to as a war zone, but a leading trauma surgeon working at the Royal London Hospital has recently explained about treating stabbing victims "on a daily basis” at a hospital that has been compared to an “Afghan war zone.”

“Some of my military colleagues have described their practice here as being similar to being at [Helmand province's former Camp] Bastion," surgeon Martin Griffiths told BBC last month.

Trump’s remarks prompted the surgeon (pictured below) to take to Twitter on Saturday, writing, "Happy to invite Mr Trump to my (prestigious) hospital to meet with our mayor and police commissioner to discuss our successes in violence reduction in London."

Knife crime had reached the highest point in England and Wales since 2011, figures showed last year. About 60 suspected murders, including assaults and stabbings, have been reported in London this year, according to London's Metropolitan Police.

The British capital, however has never recorded more murders in a year than America’s most populous city — New York City — which recorded 290 murders last year, the lowest number in decades, compared to London’s 130.

Trump, who has a history of criticizing London, is due to visit the UK in July, CNN cited sources familiar with the matter.

Back in February, Trump attacked the UK's National Health Service (NHS), saying it is "going broke and not working."

He also criticized the new location of the US Embassy in London, which moved from its long-standing site in central London to its new home south of the city, where he explained as "a lousy location."

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