In a moment that underscored his signature brand of blunt diplomacy, President Donald J. Trump reportedly did not mince words during a joint appearance with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, calling London Mayor Sadiq Khan a “nasty person” and slamming his leadership as “terrible.”
“I’m not a fan of your mayor. I think he’s done a terrible job, the mayor of London. [He] is a nasty person,” Trump told reporters while seated next to Starmer. “But I would certainly visit London, yeah,” he added, making clear that the city’s leadership would not deter him from engaging with the British people.
Starmer, attempting to offer a note of diplomacy, interjected that Khan is “a friend of mine, actually.”
But Trump did not retreat. His remarks reflect the long-running tensions between the two men — a clash that began during Trump’s first term and has continued through his return to office.
The feud traces back to 2019, when Khan compared President Trump to “fascists of the 20th century” in an op-ed opposing Trump’s official visit to the United Kingdom.
The then-president quickly fired back, branding Khan a “stone cold loser” and lambasting his mishandling of crime and terrorism in London.
The friction is ideological as much as personal. Khan, London’s first Muslim mayor, has frequently criticized Trump’s immigration policies and his skepticism toward unchecked globalization.
In 2016, Khan declared Trump’s proposed restrictions on migration from majority-Muslim countries “ignorant” and claimed they would incite further violence against Americans.
Since Trump’s 2024 re-election, Khan has ramped up his rhetoric, framing the Trump presidency as a threat to what he calls “progressive values.”
“The lesson of today is that progress is not inevitable,” Khan warned following Trump’s victory. “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.”
Critics have long accused Khan of spending more time moralizing on the global stage than governing his own city, where violent crime has soared and homelessness has spiked. Yet Khan’s office tried to put a positive spin on Trump’s interest in visiting London.
“Sadiq is delighted that President Trump wants to come to the greatest city in the world,” a spokesperson told The Independent. “He’d see how our diversity makes us stronger, not weaker; richer, not poorer.”
The spokesperson further claimed that a “record number of Americans have applied for British citizenship” during Trump’s presidency, a statistic not substantiated in the statement.
Khan has alleged that Trump’s public criticism stems from his Muslim faith — a charge that Trump has never acknowledged, and one that seems intended to deflect from legitimate critiques of the mayor’s record.
As President Trump continues to reassert American leadership on the world stage, his willingness to speak plainly — even when politically inconvenient — remains unchanged. And in this case, he’s not afraid to say what many Londoners are already thinking.
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