LONDON: US President Donald Trump has said he “did not want” London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan at the state banquet hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back to the US, Trump branded Sir Sadiq “among the worst mayors in the world” and claimed the mayor wished to attend the banquet. “I asked that he not be there,” Trump remarked.
However, the BBC reported that Sir Sadiq neither expected nor sought an invitation. A source close to the mayor criticised Trump’s stance, saying his politics spread “fear and division.”
The exchange is the latest episode in the two leaders’ years-long feud. In 2019, Trump called the mayor “a stone-cold loser,” while Sir Sadiq accused him of encouraging far-right politics.
Reiterating his earlier criticism, Trump described the mayor as a “disaster” on immigration and blamed him for rising crime in London. “I think he has done a terrible job. Crime in London is through the roof,” Trump said.
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The source close to Sir Sadiq rejected Trump’s remarks, saying: “London is a global success story, open, dynamic and safer than major US cities. Perhaps that is why record numbers of Americans are choosing to make London their home.”
The rift between the two began in 2015 after Sir Sadiq condemned Trump’s call to ban Muslims from entering the US. The following year, Trump challenged the mayor to an IQ test. He later criticised the mayor’s response to the 2017 London Bridge terror attack.
During Trump’s first state visit in 2019, City Hall allowed activists to fly a large “Trump baby” blimp over London. In July this year, Trump again targeted the mayor during a press conference with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland, calling him a “nasty person.” Starmer defended Khan, saying: “He’s a friend of mine, actually.”
Trump’s latest state visit, unprecedented for a non-royal to receive twice, was otherwise marked by royal pageantry and a show of strong ties between London and Washington. However, thousands of protesters gathered in Parliament Square to demonstrate against the visit.
British police said four men were arrested after images of Trump and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were projected onto Windsor Castle ahead of the state banquet.