In a bombshell interview that has reignited a long-standing political feud, former US President Donald Trump launched an unfiltered attack on London Mayor Sadiq Khan, branding him a 'terrible mayor' and a 'nasty person'.
The fiery comments were made during a conversation with GB News presenter Bev Turner, where Trump painted a bleak picture of a capital city he claims has been radically changed under its current leadership.
Scathing Critique of London's Leadership
President Trump did not hold back in his assessment of Mayor Khan's tenure, directly linking him to a perceived rise in crime. 'Your mayor is a disaster, I can tell you. If you put him there I wouldn't even know who he was,' Trump stated. He further accused Khan of 'letting crime go right up' and claimed the mayor had treated him 'very, very badly' in the past.
Drawing a stark contrast with the city his mother loved, Trump lamented, 'My mother loved London, she loved that city - but that was a different London than today.' He made shocking claims about safety, asserting, 'Today you have people being stabbed in the ass - or worse.'
Claims of 'No-Go' Zones and Sharia Law
Expanding his critique to a broader European context, the former President made controversial claims about law enforcement and religious law in the capital. 'You have areas in London, and you have this in Paris too, where the police don't even want to go anywhere near,' he told GB News.
He went further, alleging, 'You have Sharia law where they don't even want to obey the laws of your country and you have much worse conditions.' These remarks echo similar statements he made in September during a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York.
Ongoing Feud and Multi-Billion Dollar BBC Lawsuit
This latest verbal assault is merely the newest chapter in a bitter and public spat between the two politicians. Just this month, Mr Khan celebrated the victory of self-described socialist and Democrat Zohran Mamdani as New York mayor, telling Time magazine that the win demonstrated the 'toxic politics' of Mr Trump 'does not work'.
Simultaneously, Trump confirmed his intention to pursue legal action against the BBC. Despite the broadcaster issuing a personal apology to him on Thursday, Trump stated he has an 'obligation' to sue for what he deems 'egregious' editing of his Capitol Hill speech on Newsnight.
Speaking to journalists outside the White House on Friday, the former President was specific about the scale of his intended lawsuit, confirming he would be seeking damages 'from anywhere between $1 billion and $5 billion', with legal action expected to be filed the following week.
A spokesman for Sadiq Khan had previously responded to similar criticisms from Trump by refusing to dignify 'appalling and bigoted comments with a response', instead championing London as 'the greatest city in the world, safer than major US cities'.
