LONDON — During his return flight from a state visit to the United Kingdom, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he personally requested that London Mayor Sadiq Khan not be included in state visit events. The comments escalate a long-standing public feud between the two politicians. Read More
Trump, who had just concluded a two-day state visit that included meetings with King Charles III and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, used his flight back to Washington D.C. to criticize the London Mayor. When questioned about Khan’s absence from the state banquet and other official ceremonies, Trump was direct, stating: “I didn’t want him there, I asked for him not to be there.”
The President went on to describe Khan as “among the worst mayors in the world,” citing his handling of crime and immigration in the city. “Crime in London is through the roof,” Trump said, adding that Khan has done a “terrible job” and is a “disaster” on immigration. He also claimed that he has a “certain pride in London and the UK” due to his mother’s Scottish heritage, and seeing “the stabbings and the dirt and the filth” under Khan’s leadership “is not the same.”
The remarks are the latest in a series of sharp exchanges between the two leaders that date back to 2015. Their animosity intensified during Trump’s first presidency, with a notable incident in 2018 when Khan’s office permitted an inflatable depicting Trump as a baby to fly over Parliament Square during a visit.
In the days leading up to the current state visit, the feud had already been reignited. Khan published an op-ed in The Guardian newspaper in which he accused Trump of “fan[ning] the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world.” Khan stated that Trump’s actions were “straight out of the autocrat’s playbook.”
In response to Trump’s recent comments from Air Force One, a source close to Mayor Khan released a statement, saying, “Trump’s politics is one of fear and division. This includes talking down our great capital city.” The source also highlighted London’s success as a “global success story—it’s open, dynamic and safer than major US cities.”
Despite the President’s claim that Khan had wanted to attend the state visit events, reports indicate that sources close to the mayor made it clear weeks ago that he neither sought nor expected an invitation. While the Mayor of London is not typically on the guest list for a state banquet, Khan, who is a Privy Counsellor, has attended such events in the past.
