London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called former President Trump racist, sexist and homophobic and urged his own Labor Party to do more to “expose” him.
On the eve of November's presidential election, Britain's Labor Party appears to be scrambling to strengthen its relationship with Republicans if Trump takes back the White House. However, Khan, a staunch Trump critic, insists the party “shouldn't literally roll out a red carpet for a state visit.”
Khan's remarks about the former president came after Foreign Affairs chief David Lammy appeared to extend an olive branch earlier this month, insisting that Trump is “often misunderstood” when it comes to political and “wants Europeans to do more to guarantee a better defended Europe”.
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Former President Trump, left, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan (Getty Images)
Rejecting Lammy’s position, Khan told Politico: “I’m very clear, I understand, on Trump. He's a racist. treat them like your best friend.
“If my best friend was racist, sexist or homophobic, I would report him and explain to him why these opinions are wrong,” added the Mayor of London.
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Khan, who was recently re-elected to a third term as leader of Britain's most populous city, told the outlet he was worried about “a Donald Trump presidency.”
“You know, I've talked to American governors. I've talked to American mayors. Of course, we'll have a relationship, whoever the president is. But we shouldn't literally roll out a red message.” carpet for a state visit,” he said.
“It's very important, of course, that we have good relationships with Democrats and Republicans. But I've lost count of the number of Republicans I've talked to who are also worried about a Trump presidency.”
Khan and Trump have a history of feuding and disagree on a number of issues, including immigration.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan leaves Millbank Studios after conducting media interviews on August 29, 2023 in London. (Carl Court/Getty Images)
In 2019, before arriving in London for a state visit, Trump called Khan a “cold loser” and “very stupid.”
Responding to those comments in his interview with Politico, Khan said, “I have more leeway as mayor to just say what I feel about Trump, and I make that point. He called me a “cold loser”. I won three. How much did he earn? »
Khan's remarks come as the Labor Party is expected to return to power after 14 years of general elections in the UK which will take place in the coming months.
Lammy, who has criticized Trump in the past as a “sociopath sympathetic to neo-Nazis,” recently traveled to Washington, D.C., where he met with a number of Democrats and several Trump allies, including Republican Sen. of Ohio JD Vance and South Carolina. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
“Were his words in office shocking? Yes, they were,” Lammy told Politico of the former president. “Would we have used them? No. But U.S. spending on European defense has actually increased under President Trump, as has defense spending by the broader alliance during his term.”
Lammy also argued that Trump helped matters by pushing European countries to increase their own defense spending.
Foreign Affairs chief David Lammy said earlier this month that Trump was “often misunderstood” on policy. (Anthony Devlin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“When he started his campaign, only four countries were spending their 2% of GDP. There were 10 by the time he left office. And there are 18 today.” Lammy added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.