Trump claims he excluded ‘world’s worst mayor’ Sadiq Khan from state banquet, mayor’s source rejects it
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The long-running feud between US President Donald Trump and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan resurfaced during Trump’s second state visit to the United Kingdom, with the president reportedly requesting that the mayor not attend a state banquet at Windsor Castle, though a source close to Sir Sadiq denied this as the reason for his absence.
The source said Trump’s claim that he had excluded the mayor was inaccurate, asserting that Sir Sadiq neither sought nor expected an invitation to the Royal event, and described the president’s politics as fostering fear and division, BBC reported.
Trump, speaking to reporters on Air Force One while returning to the US, reiterated his past criticisms of Sir Sadiq, highlighting issues such as rising crime and immigration in London, and positioning the mayor among the “worst in the world.”
The remarks mark the continuation of a dispute that stretches back to 2015, when Sir Sadiq condemned Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from travelling to the United States, and continued in 2016 when the US leader challenged the mayor to an IQ test.
The pair’s disagreements also extended to the handling of the 2017 London Bridge terror attack, with Trump questioning Sir Sadiq’s leadership at the time.
During Trump’s first state visit to the UK in 2019, Sir Sadiq permitted the flying of a giant inflatable blimp satirising the president. More recently, in July, Trump described the mayor in disparaging terms during a press conference with Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland, prompting the prime minister to intervene in defence of Sir Sadiq.
Despite the controversy surrounding the state banquet, Trump’s visit was largely marked by formal pomp and ceremony intended to underscore the close relations between the United States and the United Kingdom.
Nevertheless, the visit drew widespread protest, with thousands gathering at Parliament Square to oppose the president’s presence, and four men were arrested after images of Trump alongside convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were projected onto Windsor Castle.