Donald Trump has reignited his long-running feud with London Mayor Sadiq Khan, branding him 'grossly incompetent' and a 'bad person' during a press conference at the White House. The US President made the remarks after meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte in the Oval Office on Thursday.
Trump's Scathing Attack
Referring to the UK's challenges, Trump said: 'You have two problems, immigration and energy. And crime too, by the way. You have a terrible Mayor of London.' He continued: 'Your Mayor of London is grossly incompetent, a bad person and a horrible representative for your country.'
The President noted the press's reaction, saying: 'You know that, that's why you're smiling and laughing, it's true. The Mayor of London is a horror show. You have a crime problem, you have an immigration problem, the immigration helps cause the crime, and you have a tremendous energy problem.'
Criticism of UK Energy Policy
Trump also criticised the UK government for not fully expanding North Sea oil production, stating: 'You're building stupid windmills all over the country and they don't do the job. You have the greatest oil field in the world, it's called the North Sea oil. All you have to do is bill it out to Exxon, Chevron, Shell, British Petroleum; they're begging to go there and pay billions of dollars, and because the left is so crazy, they don't want the money.' He concluded: 'The country is going to go bankrupt.'
History of the Feud
The animosity between Trump and Khan dates back to 2015 when both were running for office. During his presidential campaign, Trump proposed a ban on Muslims entering the US, which Khan—then a candidate for London Mayor—called 'outrageous'. After Khan's election in 2016, Trump suggested the Mayor would be exempt from his travel ban, calling the election a 'good thing'. Khan, however, described Trump's views on Muslims as 'ignorant'.
Trump later challenged Khan to an IQ test. Khan responded to ITV: 'I will remember those statements. They are very nasty statements.' The feud intensified following the 2017 London Bridge terror attack, when Khan said the public should not be alarmed by a heightened police presence. Trump criticised Khan on Twitter, saying his remarks were a 'pathetic excuse'.
Death Threats and Security
Just days before Trump's latest comments, Khan revealed that death threats against him had increased by 2,000% after Trump's first election and by 100% after his second. Speaking to Republica, the 55-year-old said: 'It's very difficult for me, personally, for my family, [and for] my friends, it's never nice having death threats and requiring police protection. We did some analysis, and when President Trump got elected, the amount of threats I received went up by 2,000%. When he was elected the second time, it's gone up by 100%.'
