Donald Trump has said he “didn’t want” Sir Sadiq Khan at events put on for his second state visit to the UK, escalating his feud with the London Mayor by describing him as “among the worst mayors in the world”.
The US president claimed that Sir Sadiq had wanted to attend, but “I asked that he not be there”.
It is the latest in a long-running war of words between Mr Trump and the Labour mayor, who accused the American leader of encouraging divisive far-right politics around the world as he landed in Britain earlier this week.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One after his state visit, Mr Trump said: “I didn’t want him there, I asked that he not be there.
“I think the Mayor of London Khan is among the worst mayors in the world, and we have some bad ones. If you look at Chicago, but I think he’s the equivalent of the mayor of Chicago.
“I think he’s done a terrible job. Crime in London is through the roof. The Mayor of London Khan, Mayor Khan has done a terrible job.
“And on immigration, he’s a disaster.
“I asked that he not be there. He wanted to be there, as I understand, I didn’t want him.”
He continued: “I have a certain pride in London and the UK. My mother was born in Scotland, as you know.
“And when I see Mayor Khan do a bad job, the stabbings and the dirt and the filth, it’s not the same.”
President Trump has fanned the flames of the far-right.
— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) September 17, 2025
And now a toxic form of politics is spilling out onto our streets.
These are dark times, but those who seek to divide us will not win. https://t.co/G4tb0eJP3H
In response, a source close to Sir Sadiq said: “Trump’s politics is one of fear and division. This includes talking down our great capital city.
“London is a global success story – it’s open, dynamic and safer than major US cities. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons record numbers of Americans are choosing to make London their home.”
Sir Sadiq is understood to have made it clear weeks ago that he did not seek or expect an invite to events held for the contentious state visit.
The two men’s spat 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.
The row intensified when the president criticised the mayor’s response to the London Bridge terror attack, and in 2018 Sir Sadiq’s office gave permission for an inflatable depicting Mr Trump as a baby to fly in Parliament Square as the Republican visited the UK.
During his first official state visit, Mr Trump 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”.
As Mr Trump was sworn into the White House for a second term, Sir Sadiq warned of a “resurgent fascism”.
