Donald Trump has admitted he personally blocked London Mayor Sadiq Khan from attending the State Banquet at Windsor Castle, unleashing a blistering attack on the Labour politician whilst aboard Air Force One following his unprecedented second state visit to Britain.
Speaking to reporters including GB News’ Bev Turner on his flight back to Washington on Thursday evening, the US President branded Sir Sadiq “among the worst mayors in the world” and revealed he had specifically requested the Mayor not be invited to Wednesday night’s royal dinner hosted by King Charles III.
“I didn’t want him there,” Trump declared bluntly. “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.”
Personal Pride and Scottish Heritage
The President went on to cite his personal connection to Britain through his late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born on Scotland’s Isle of Lewis. Trump expressed his dismay at what he perceives as London’s decline under Khan’s leadership since 2016.
“I’ve not liked him for a long time,” Trump continued. “I just think, you know, I have a certain pride in London and the UK, my mother was born in Scotland, and when I see Mayor Khan do a bad job – the stabbings, the dirt and the filth – it’s not the same. I didn’t want him there.”
Trump claimed that Khan had wanted to attend the prestigious event but was denied at his request. “He wanted to be there. As I understand it, I didn’t want it,” the President stated, adding that crime in London was “through the roof” and describing Khan as a “disaster” on immigration policies.
Khan’s Pre-Visit Attack
The extraordinary revelation came after Sir Sadiq had penned a scathing op-ed in The Guardian just hours before Trump’s arrival in Britain, condemning the President for “fanning the flames of divisive, far-right politics.
In the piece published on Tuesday, Khan wrote: “President Donald Trump and his coterie have perhaps done the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years. When he came to the UK on his first state visit, I highlighted how the president had deliberately used xenophobia, racism and ‘otherness’ as an electoral tactic.”
The Mayor continued his attack, stating: “Six years later, the tactics we see from today’s White House seem no different. Scapegoating minorities, illegally deporting US citizens, deploying the military to the streets of diverse cities. These actions aren’t just inconsistent with Western values – they’re straight out of the autocrat’s playbook.”
Response From Khan’s Camp
A source close to the London Mayor responded to Trump’s comments, stating: “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.”
The BBC understands that Sir Sadiq did not seek or expect an invitation to the state banquet and had made this clear weeks before the visit. The Mayor’s office has not formally responded to Trump’s latest comments.
Crime Statistics Debate
Trump’s criticism of London’s crime rates requires context. Whilst knife crime did rise significantly between 2016 and 2019/20, recent data shows more complex trends. According to the Mayor’s office, knife crime with injury for those aged under 25 has fallen by 26 per cent in the 12 months to June 2025 compared to May 2016, with 453 fewer offences.
The latest Metropolitan Police figures show that in the twelve months to March 2025, there were 26.40 recorded violence against the person offences per 1,000 population in the Met area, below the national average of 31.88 per 1,000 population. Londoners are, on average, less likely to be victims of violence with injury offences than those across the rest of England and Wales.
However, knife crime remains a serious concern. The number of knife or sharp instrument offences recorded by police in London rose to approximately 15,016 in 2023/24, near pre-pandemic highs, though still below the peak of 15,928 in 2019/20.
Independent fact-checking organisation Full Fact has previously debunked claims that London crime had risen five times faster than the rest of the country since Khan became Mayor, finding that recorded crime per person in London increased by 18 per cent between 2016 and 2020, less than the 31 per cent increase across England overall.
Long-Running Feud
The clash represents the latest escalation in a bitter feud dating back to 2015, when Khan, then a Labour MP, criticised Trump’s suggestion that Muslims should be banned from travelling to the United States. The animosity intensified during Trump’s first presidential term.
In 2016, Trump challenged Khan to take an IQ test. A year later, he criticised the Mayor’s handling of the London Bridge terror attack, tweeting that Khan had done “a terrible job” and was “a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me.”
Khan responded by calling Trump “a poster boy for racists” and permitted the flying of a giant inflatable “Trump baby” balloon during the President’s first state visit in 2019, which drew international media attention and clearly rankled the American leader.
Earlier this year, as Trump was sworn in for his second term, Sir Sadiq warned of “resurgent fascism” and repeated his claim on Wednesday that the President had “fanned the flames of the far-right” on social media, adding: “And now a toxic form of politics is spilling out onto our streets.”
Military Intervention Comments
During his joint press conference with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at Chequers earlier on Thursday, Trump had already signalled his hardline stance on immigration, telling the Prime Minister to “deploy the military” to tackle the Channel migrant crisis.
“You have people coming in, and I told the Prime Minister I would stop it. And it doesn’t matter if you call out the military, it doesn’t matter what means you use,” Trump declared. “But it destroys countries from within, and we’re now actually removing the people that came into the country.”
The President added: “It’s a very hard chore, we were given a very, very bad hand… We have to remove them and we are removing them, we have no choice, and I feel very strongly about it.”
State Visit Success Despite Tensions
Despite the Khan controversy, Trump’s second state visit – unprecedented for a non-royal – was largely deemed successful in strengthening UK-US relations. The visit resulted in a major technology partnership agreement worth £250 billion flowing between the two nations, described by Starmer as “the biggest investment package of its kind in British history by a country mile.”
The royal family pulled out all the stops with gold-trimmed carriages, scarlet-clad soldiers, artillery salutes, and the largest military honour guard ever assembled for a state visit. Trump appeared deeply appreciative of the royal treatment, calling King Charles “a great gentleman, and a great king” upon his departure.
However, the visit was not without protest. Thousands gathered in Parliament Square on Wednesday, and four men were arrested after images of Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were projected onto Windsor Castle ahead of the state banquet.
Political Implications
The exclusion of Khan from the state banquet represents an extraordinary diplomatic incident, given that the Mayor of London would typically be included in such prestigious events, particularly as a senior Labour figure and close ally of Prime Minister Starmer.
The revelation that Trump successfully lobbied for Khan’s exclusion raises questions about the extent of American influence over British state occasions and whether Buckingham Palace or Downing Street acquiesced to the President’s demands.
For Khan, who faces re-election in 2028, the feud with Trump may play differently with various constituencies. Whilst his opposition to Trump resonates with many Londoners who view the President unfavourably, critics argue the Mayor should focus on addressing the capital’s challenges rather than engaging in transatlantic political disputes.
As Trump concluded his remarks to reporters: “If you look at Chicago, but I think he’s the equivalent of the mayor of Chicago” – a comparison to another Democratic-run city that Trump frequently criticises for crime and mismanagement.
The President’s parting shots ensure that the Trump-Khan feud will continue to simmer, adding another layer of complexity to UK-US relations as both nations navigate their “special relationship” in an increasingly polarised political landscape.
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Image Credit:
Donald Trump (2025, cropped) — photo by Molly Riley / The White House, Public domain
