Sadiq Khan 'hasn't changed his mind' on Donald Trump who 'poses problems' for London

Sadiq Khan says he 'abide by the rules of the game' so he 'wishes Donald Trump well' but the Mayor of London has raised concerns over 'problems' London could face when the President-elect takes office in January. Speaking during a phone-in on James O’Brien’s LBC Radio show on Friday (November 15), Mr Khan said he 'hasn't changed his mind' on Mr Trump who he has had many spats with.

Mr Khan said: “Firstly it’s really important I say this because I abide by the rules of the game. Donald Trump has won the election; he’s going to be the president in January. And I wish him well, I congratulate him on winning the election.

“But clearly, we know from his record when he was president between 2016 and 2020 and also some of the things he’s campaigned on, there are anxieties that Londoners have, which my job as the mayor is to articulate those.”

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He added: “I think the three things that even Donald Trump supporters would agree with is his policies are protectionist, nativist, and unilateralist. I think that poses problems not just for our great country and the world but also for London.”

Mr Khan later said: “Now JD Vance, Elon Musk and others may have changed their mind about Mr Trump, I haven’t but I’m giving the president-elect the benefit of the doubt and let’s hope, fingers crossed, this president, during this term, is different from the last one.”

Following Mr Trump's election victory over Kamala Harris, Mr Khan said we need to build a world where “racism and hatred is rejected” and acknowledged “many Londoners will be anxious” and “fearful about what it will mean for democracy and for women’s rights”.

On November 6 Mr Khan said: “London is – and will always be – for everyone. We will always be pro-women, pro-diversity, pro-climate and pro-human rights.

“London is a place where we’re proud of our diversity, proud of the contribution of all our communities and proud of our spirit of unity. These are some of the values that will continue to bind us together as Londoners. The lesson of today is that progress is not inevitable.

“But asserting our progressive values is more important than ever – re-committing to building a world where racism and hatred is rejected, the fundamental rights of women and girls are upheld, and where we continue to tackle the crisis of climate change head on.”

Mr Khan’s long running feud with Mr Trump 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. After Mr Khan’s election in 2016, the mayor described Mr Trump’s views on Islam as “ignorant”, prompting the US tycoon to challenge him to an IQ test.

The spat intensified following the 2017 London Bridge terror attack when Mr Trump said: “At least seven dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is ‘no reason to be alarmed!’.” Mr Khan had actually said the public should not be alarmed by an increased police presence in the wake of the atrocity.

The mayor’s spokesman said Mr Khan had “more important things to do than respond to Donald Trump’s ill-informed tweet.” But Mr Trump claimed the mayor’s explanation of the comment was a “pathetic excuse”.

In 2018, Mr Khan’s office gave permission for an inflatable depicting Mr Trump as a baby to fly in Parliament Square as the US president visited the UK. On the eve of his visit, the president told The Sun Mr Khan had “done a very bad job on terrorism”.

In June 2019, during Mr Trump’s official state visit to the UK, the president reignited the row before even setting foot on British soil. Moments before he stepped off the plane, the president tweeted that Mr Khan “has done a terrible job as Mayor of London” and was “a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me”.

Mr Khan responded: “I’m not 12 years old in a playground, I’m just surprised Donald Trump thinks he is.” Later that month, Mr Trump said Mr Khan was “a disaster” and a “national disgrace” after a spate of violence in London, where three men were killed in separate attacks in less than 24 hours.

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