(Charles Dharapak/AP)
LONDON—On day three of his overseas tour, Mitt Romney woke up to unfriendly headlines from the British media, which continue to trash him for telling NBC News that he found preparations for the Olympics here "disconcerting."
"Mitt the Twit," declared The Sun tabloid, condemning Romney as a "wannabe president."
The Independent headlined its take on Romney's trip "Romneyshambles"—accusing him of not only committing a diplomatic gaffe but later "the cardinal sin of U.S. politics, flip-flopping" on his criticism.
The Daily Telegraph suggested Romney's "Olympic gaffe" had overshadowed his trip to London.
Meanwhile, the conservative Daily Mail slammed Romney as "devoid of charm, offensive and a wazzock."
Romney's comments led newscasts on both Sky News and the BBC on Thursday night and early Friday morning, just hours ahead of the Olympic opening ceremonies here.
"Is this guy really prepared to be president?" one Sky News reporter asked in his Thursday night report about Romney's day in London. The reporter trashed the GOP candidate's comments as "just daft."
Romney has repeatedly tried to dial back his criticism, first in a news conference Thursday outside No. 10 Downing Street, where he had met with British Prime Minister David Cameron, who had been publicly critical of Romney's remarks earlier in the day.
[Get more updates from Romney's overseas trip by following @hollybdc on Twitter]
In an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan Thursday night, Romney again tried to contain the controversy, telling the CNN host he believes the London games will be successful.
"It's great. It's absolutely fabulous," Romney said of being in London for the games. "You know I'd never been to an Olympics before I was given the Olympic job. I mean I've done the same thing everybody else did. I watched the games on TV. But to actually be here and to experience not just the athletes but also the volunteers who are working hard and excited, and then the whole community comes together. … It's fabulous."
Citing the "enthusiasm" of the people in London, Romney added, "I think you are going to see terrific games that will be long time in our memories."