Sadiq Khan has said Donald Trump "appears to have a crush" on him after the US President launched into another rant about the London Mayor. Sir Sadiq remarked that he is "living rent free inside President Trump's head" following the 80-year-old US leader's renewed attack, reigniting their long-running feud. On Wednesday, without any prompting, Trump told reporters: "I don't want to cause any problems, but your Mayor of London is grossly incompetent."
Khan Responds to Trump's Latest Criticism
Responding on Thursday, Sir Sadiq—who has served as London's mayor for over a decade and won three elections—told the Press Association: "I'm not sure why I'm living rent free inside President Trump's head. I'm not quite clear why this man appears to have a crush on me. You know, all I would say is it could be because I'm the mayor of a progressive, multicultural, liberal, successful city."
The London Mayor added: "Last week, London won the Lee Kuan Yew Prize as the world's best city. That's probably why President Trump is upset." The Lee Kuan Yew Prize is a prestigious award in urban planning, recognizing cities for their contributions to livability and sustainability.
A History of Feuding
The two have been at loggerheads since at least 2015, when Sir Sadiq criticized Trump's suggestion that Muslims should be banned from traveling to the US. The London Mayor later branded the US President's views on Islam as "ignorant." In 2017, Trump sparked a backlash by misrepresenting Khan's comments about the London Bridge terror attack. That same year, Sir Sadiq called for a state visit by Trump to be cancelled, and his office gave permission for a giant blimp depicting Trump as an angry baby to be flown during protests.
Following another spat in 2019, Trump wrote on Twitter: "He is a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me." Last year, Trump launched another attack, describing the London Mayor as "a horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor." In April, Sir Sadiq criticized Trump's foul-mouthed threats toward Iran, saying: "I think it's, frankly, gratuitously offensive for the leader of the free world to talk about a civilization in this way."
Khan Rules Out Return to Westminster
Sir Sadiq said he has no plans to return to Westminster like Andy Burnham, who was sworn in as Makerfield's MP on Monday. Burnham is widely expected to become the UK's next Prime Minister next month. Asked if he was considering standing as an MP, the London Mayor said: "No, I've got the best job in politics. I'm looking forward to working with Andy Burnham as the new prime minister, and he's a friend. We were in cabinet together, we're in shadow cabinet together, we were metro mayors together, and I've set him up for a few goals as well. So, I'm sure he'll remember that when he's prime minister." He added he was "really sad" to see Sir Keir Starmer's announcement on Monday that he will resign as Prime Minister.
