Donald Trump and Sadiq Khan’s ongoing feud appears to have reached new heights, after the mayor of London called the US President “racist and Islamaphobic”.
Sir Sadiq hit out at Trump over comments he made at the UN General Assembly.
On Wednesday, Sir Sadiq said: "I think President Trump has shown he is racist, he is sexist, he is misogynistic, and he is Islamophobic.
"When people say things, when people act in a certain way, when people behave in a certain way, you've got to believe them."
This comes after Trump attacked the London mayor during his recent state visit to the UK, when he dubbed Sir Sadiq "among the worst mayors in the world," and claimed he asked for the him not to be invited to the state dinner.
It’s not the first time the pair have locked horns - their feud stretches back more than a decade.
Here’s the full timeline of their ongoing rows, and what the full picture looks like at present:
2015
Things initially kicked off between the pair as early as 2015 when the London mayor hopeful Sadiq Khan had something to say about a planned policy Trump had declared while on the campaign trail during his first stint as US President.
Donald Trump upset an entire religion when he made sweeping statements about Muslims and said that he would make a presidential campaign pledge to ban Muslims from the US.
Sir Sadiq, a Muslim himself, said it was an “outrageous policy” and spoke of his desire to see him lose.
2016
Sir Sadiq was elected to office and became London’s mayor, which meant that he would be coming into direct contact with Trump if elected to the White House.
After Sir Sadiq was elected as the winner, Trump suggested the London mayor would be exempt from his proposed travel ban on Muslims, saying he would “make an exception”, adding that he believed his appointment was a “good thing”.
But this did not go down well in London, with Sir Sadiq hitting back, accusing Trump of playing into the hands of extremist Muslims with his “ignorant” comments.
Khan told the BBC: “I think Donald Trump has ignorant views about Islam. It is not just about me. I don’t want to be the exception to be allowed to go into America.
“It’s not about me. It’s about my friends, my family and others from all over the world.
“My concern is he is playing into the hands of extremists who say it's not compatible to be western and be mainstream Muslim.”
Trump hit back, warning Khan he had a long memory, saying: “I will remember those statements. They are very nasty statements.”
2017
Following terrorist attacks in Borough Market and around London Bridge, Trump hit out at Sir Sadiq again, and appeared to say he was not taking the atrocities seriously enough as the leader of the city.
Eight people were killed and many more injured when three attackers ploughed a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before launching a knife attack in nearby Borough Market.
The terrorists were shot dead by police, who arrived at the scene of the attack within eight minutes.
Trump hit out at Khan’s management of the situation on Twitter, saying it was ridiculous that he had told the public there was “no reason to be alarmed”, but this quote was incorrect.
Sir Sadiq had actually said in a statement that the public should not be alarmed by the increased police presence on London’s streets, as the officers were there to provide support and a visible presence.
The London mayor released another statement saying he “had more important things to do than respond to Donald Trump’s ill-informed tweet that deliberately takes out of context his remarks”.
Trump followed up with another tweet, saying this was a “pathetic excuse” that he had come up with.
In June, Sir Sadiq made calls for the UK Government to cancel a planned visit by Trump and said he didn’t understand what the issue was with him.
He said in an interview with the Guardian: “We’re not schoolchildren. He’s the president of the United States, so I’m unclear what his beef is with me.”
The UK Government did not cancel Trump’s visit, but Sir Sadiq’s officer permitted anti-Trump activists to fly a protest blimp of Trump as a crying baby in a nappy.
2018
Protests look place when Trump arrived in the UK during which the blimp, which Sir Sadiq’s office had permitted, flew above Westminster.
During his visit, Trump said Sir Sadiq was doing a “terrible job” due to the high crime statistics in the capital.
2019
Trump was accused of trying to influence the UK General Election by backing the then Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson.
He defied diplomatic agreements to stay out of elections in other nations and, in The Sun, backed Johnson to succeed former leader Theresa May.
In the same interview with The Sun, Trump also hit out at the Duchess of Sussex, calling Meghan Markle “nasty”.
Sir Sadiq waded into the debate, calling the American leader a “racist”.
He said: “This is a man who also tried to exploit Londoners’ fears following a horrific terrorist attack on our city, amplified the tweets of a British far-right racist group, denounced as fake news the robust scientific evidence warning of the dangers of climate change, and is now trying to interfere shamelessly in the Conservative party leadership race by backing Boris Johnson because he believes it would enable him to gain an ally in Number 10 for his divisive agenda.
“President Donald Trump is just one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat. The far right is on the rise around the world, threatening our hard-won rights and freedoms and the values that have defined our liberal, democratic societies for more than 70 years.”
Jeremy Corbyn also spoke on the events, adding: “President Trump’s attempt to decide who will be Britain’s next prime minister is an entirely unacceptable interference in our country’s democracy. The next prime minister should be chosen not by the US president, nor by 100,000 unrepresentative Conservative party members, but by the British people in a general election.”
Trump hit back, describing Sir Sadiq as “a stone cold loser” and “very dumb”.
In retaliation, Sir Sadiq’s office accused Trump of “childish insults” .
2021
The war of words went quiet as Trump left office in January 2021 after serving his first term as US President.
2023/24
When it became clear that Trump was running to serve a second term as US President, Khan was quick to issue warnings publicly.
Sir Sadiq denounced Trump and urged people to vote for Kamala Harris as he sat down for an interview with POLITICO in New York.
He warned that the “world was watching” and said electing Trump would have “far reaching” consequences for the globe.
In November, when Trump won his second term, Sir Sadiq again spoke out and said many Londoners would be "fearful" about what it would "mean for democracy".
The London mayor did however backtrack and said he "wanted to work closely with the American president" ahead of his inauguration in January.
Sir Sadiq said as he is somebody "who believes in democracy, and voting and elections, we should recognise the fact that Donald Trump is the elected president of the United States".
But he added: "Let's keep our fingers crossed that this president is different from the last time he was president."
2025
July
In September Trump reignited the pair’s row, calling Sir Sadiq a "nasty person" who has done "a terrible job" when he spent time with current prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, in Scotland.
Asked if he would visit London during his official state visit in September, Trump said: "I will, I'm not a fan of your mayor, I think he's done a terrible job.
"A nasty person, I think."
Keir Starter did jump into the conversation to stop it escalating, claiming "he's a friend of mine."
The president added: "I think he's done a terrible job but I will certainly visit London."
Sir Sadiq responded in an official statement, which said: "Sadiq is delighted that President Trump wants to come to the greatest city in the world.
"He'd see how our diversity makes us stronger not weaker; richer, not poorer.
"Perhaps these are the reasons why a record number of Americans have applied for British citizenship under his presidency."
September
Sir Sadiq and Trump have continued to denounce one another throughout September, following the US president’s unprecedented second state visit.
While preparing to return to America after the visit, Trump hit out at Khan, saying: "I think he's done a terrible job. Crime in London is through the roof."
Regarding the official banquet during the visit, Trump said: "I asked that he not be there. He wanted to be there, as I understand, I didn't want him."
It’s been reported by the BBC that, contrary to his claims, Sir Sadiq didn’t expect or seek an invitation to the state dinner.
A source close to the mayor also told the outlet: “Trump's politics is one of fear and division. This includes talking down our great capital city.”
On 24 September, Sir Sadiq hit out at Trump, branding him a “racist” and “Islamophobic” over comments he made during a speech at the UN General Assembly.
During the speech on Tuesday 23 September, the US president claimed London wants to “go to sharia law”, Islam’s legal system.
Labour MPs were quick to defend Sir Sadiq, London’s first Muslim mayor.
Cabinet minister Pat McFadden recognised Trump and Sir Sadiq have “had beef for some years”.
Ealing Central and Acton MP Rupa Huq called the comments “poppycock” and “complete cobblers”, adding that “someone should have a word” with the President over the “unhinged” speech.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said: “Sadiq Khan is not trying to impose Sharia Law on London.
“This is a mayor who marches with Pride, who stands up for difference of background and opinion, who’s focused on improving our transport, our air, our streets, our safety, our choices and chances. Proud he’s our mayor.”
A spokesperson for Sir Sadiq said: “We are not going to dignify his appalling and bigoted comments with a response.
“London is the greatest city in the world, safer than major US cities, and we’re delighted to welcome the record number of US citizens moving here.”
