Donald Trump has launched a new attack on Sir Sadiq Khan – as he claimed his earlier criticism of the London mayor had been well received.
The US president said Sir Sadiq was a “horrible mayor” and a “stupid guy” who had done a “lousy job” as he spoke to reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday evening as he returned to the US following a five-day visit to Scotland.
Earlier in the visit, during a press conference with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at his Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire, Mr Trump described Sir Sadiq as a “nasty person”.
The pair have exchanged verbal insults repeatedly since both were running for office in 2015 – Mr Trump in his first bid to become president and Sir Sadiq as he sought the first of his three terms as London mayor.
Answering media questions about the reaction to his visit to Scotland, Mr Trump said onboard the presidential plane: “They also liked what I said that they have one of the worst mayors anywhere in the world in London.
“He’s a horrible mayor – nasty guy. Stupid guy, in my opinion. He’s a nasty man and I want nothing to do with him.
“I didn’t think it was a big statement and I was… so many people said thank you for saying that. He is a bad guy.
“Khan is his name, I guess. He has done a lousy job, I can tell you that. A terrible mayor. Other people liked it so much when I said that.”
Trump pivots from railing about Europe's "immigration problem" to bashing the mayor of London: "Nasty guy. Stupid guy in my opinion. But he's a nasty man and I want nothing to do with him. But I didn't think it was a big statement, and so many people said 'Thank you for saying… pic.twitter.com/Htm7WDc2ho
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 29, 2025
Mr Trump’s initial comments forced Sir Keir to defend his Labour party colleague, with the Prime Minister telling the president: "He's a friend of mine, actually."
Reacting to Mr Trump’s latest remarks, a source close to the mayor told The Standard: “If Donald Trump was praising us, we’d probably be doing something wrong.”
Sir Sadiq was re-elected mayor for an historic third time in May 2024 - with his 275,828 majority the second largest since the London mayoralty was reintroduced in 2000.
Different voting system, but @SadiqKhan's majority of 275,828 is the second biggest in the seven London mayoral elections to date. https://t.co/X3RK4JRxu0
— Ross Lydall (@RossLydall) May 4, 2024
Sir Sadiq was knighted by the King in the 2025 New Year honours list.
Mr Trump, who is due to return to the UK in September for a State visit hosted at Windsor Castle, said he would be prepared to visit London, despite his low regard for the mayor.
Following Mr Trump’s re-election last November, Sir Sadiq invited him to attend the capital’s annual Pride festival and to join him for Friday prayers at a mosque.
Sir Sadiq is a practising Muslim and his comments appeared to seek to contrast his support for the capital’s diverse communities with what he believes are the less tolerant views of Mr Trump.
In 2018 protesters flew a giant inflatable “blimp” caricature of the US president as a baby during his visit to the UK.
A year later, Sir Sadid was described by Mr Trump as a “stone cold loser” during a presidential visit to the UK.
Last September, when Sir Sadiq visited the US, Sir Sadiq said he hoped Kamala Harris, Mr Trump’s Democrat rival, would become US president.
After Mr Trump was re-elected, Sir Sadiq said many Londoners would be “anxious” about his shock return to the White House and “fearful about what it will mean for democracy”.
