LONDON - Opponents of Donald Trump flew a six-meter blimp depicting the US president as an orange, snarling nappy-wearing baby just outside the British parliament on Friday.

Trump, who arrived in Britain on Thursday, told the Sun newspaper that planned protests against him in London and other British cities made him feel unwelcome so he was avoiding the capital as much as possible.

"I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London," Trump told the newspaper.

"I used to love London as a city. I haven't been there in a long time. But when they make you feel unwelcome, why would I stay there?"

Britain regards its close ties with the United States, which it calls the special relationship, as a pillar of its foreign policy and Prime Minister Theresa May has courted Trump ahead of the country's departure from the European Union.

But some Britons see Trump as crude, volatile, unreliable and opposed to their values on a range of issues. More than 64,000 people have signed up to demonstrate in London against Trump's visit while other protests are expected around the country.