President Donald Trump took time to criticize the mayor of London on June 3 as he was landing for his official state visit to the United Kingdom.
Trump noted that crime is a major problem in the capital of the country and suggested that Sadiq Khan, the mayor, should focus on that rather than on him.
“Sadiq Khan, who by all accounts has done a terrible job as Mayor of London, has been foolishly ‘nasty’ to the visiting President of the United States, by far the most important ally of the United Kingdom. He is a stone-cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me,” Trump wrote in a missive on Twitter.
“Kahn reminds me very much of our very dumb and incompetent Mayor of NYC, de Blasio, who has also done a terrible job—only half his height,” he said.
“In any event, I look forward to being a great friend to the United Kingdom, and am looking very much forward to my visit. Landing now!” he added.
.@SadiqKhan, who by all accounts has done a terrible job as Mayor of London, has been foolishly “nasty” to the visiting President of the United States, by far the most important ally of the United Kingdom. He is a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2019
….Kahn reminds me very much of our very dumb and incompetent Mayor of NYC, de Blasio, who has also done a terrible job – only half his height. In any event, I look forward to being a great friend to the United Kingdom, and am looking very much forward to my visit. Landing now!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2019
Khan, 48, became mayor of London in 2016 after serving as a Member of Parliament for 11 years.
Knife crime has skyrocketed in London in recent years, with murders also increasing, according to London’s Metropolitan Police. Property crime has risen as well since Khan took office.
Trump’s comments came after Khan launched the war of words, telling Sky News that his country was wrong to “roll out the red carpet” for Trump’s visit.
“I think it’s important for us to have good relations with our closest ally, and important for our allies to be here for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings; we’ve got to have good relations with the U.S.—but I don’t think we should be rolling out the red carpet,” Khan said.
“Our closest ally is akin to a best friend—and the thing about a best friend is that you stand shoulder to shoulder with them in times of adversity, but you’ve got to call them out when you think they’re wrong. There are so many things about President Donald Trump’s policies that are the antithesis of our values in London, but also our values as a country.”
.@SadiqKhan tells Sky News on #Ridge that the UK shouldn’t “roll out the red carpet” and give @realDonaldTrump a state visit.
Head here for the London mayor’s full interview: https://t.co/DORWSTEsgq pic.twitter.com/Y3T2ySkfZR
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 2, 2019
Khan cited Trump’s travel ban on Muslim-majority countries that struggle to contain terrorism and his policies trying to stem the flood of illegal immigrants at the southern border among the policies he disagrees with.
He also claimed that the president was “standing up and defending white supremacists, Neo-Nazis, and anti-Semites in Charlottesville,” a lie recently propagated by former U.S. vice president Joe Biden.
Khan and Trump’s back-and-forth came after Trump praised Nigel Farage, the leader of the Brexit Party, saying the government should include him in exit talks.
“He has a lot to offer,” Trump told The Sunday Times. “He is a very smart person. They won’t bring him in. Think how well they would do if they did. They just haven’t figured that out yet.”
