Donald Trump has said he “didn’t want” Sir Sadiq Khan at events put on for his second state visit to the UK, escalating his feud with the London mayor by describing him as “among the worst mayors in the world”.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on the way back from his state visit, the US president claimed that Sir Sadiq had wanted to attend, but “I asked that he not be there”.
It is the latest in a long-running war of words between Mr Trump and the Labour mayor, who accused the American leader of encouraging divisive far-right politics around the world as he landed in Britain earlier this week.
The US president’s harsh words for the London mayor come despite Mr Trump holding a successful press conference with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer at Chequers on Thursday, where he said the UK and US share an “unbreakable bond”.
On Thursday, Mr Trump said: “I didn’t want him there, I asked that he not be there. I think the mayor of London Khan is among the worst mayors in the world, and we have some bad ones. If you look at Chicago, but I think he’s the equivalent of the mayor of Chicago.
“I think he’s done a terrible job. Crime in London is through the roof. The mayor of London Khan has done a terrible job.
“And on immigration, he’s a disaster. I asked that he not be there. He wanted to be there, as I understand; I didn’t want him.”
He continued: “I have a certain pride in London and the UK. My mother was born in Scotland, as you know.
“And when I see Mayor Khan do a bad job, the stabbings and the dirt and the filth, it’s not the same.”
In response, a source close to Sir Sadiq said: “Trump’s politics is one of fear and division. This includes talking down our great capital city.
“London is a global success story – it’s open, dynamic and safer than major US cities. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons record numbers of Americans are choosing to make London their home.”
Sir Sadiq is understood to have made it clear weeks ago that he did not seek or expect an invitation to the events held for the contentious state visit.
The two men’s spat dates back to at least 2015, when the Labour politician condemned the then presidential hopeful’s suggestion that Muslims should be banned from travelling to the US.
The row intensified when the president criticised the mayor’s response to the London Bridge terror attack, and in 2018 Sir Sadiq’s office gave permission for an inflatable depicting Mr Trump as a baby to fly in Parliament Square as the Republican visited the UK.
During his first official state visit, Mr Trump tweeted that Sir Sadiq “has done a terrible job as mayor of London” and was “a stone-cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me”.
As Mr Trump was sworn into the White House for a second term, Sir Sadiq warned of a “resurgent fascism”.
