Sadiq Khan has stoked his row with incoming US President Donald Trump by branding the US President “racist” and accusing the billionaire of “singling him out”.
Multiple politicians – including Labour frontbenchers David Lammy and Wes Streeting – have been trying to play down historical criticisms of the 78-year-old after his victory over Kamala Harris in last week’s election.
But London Mayor Mr Khan, who has clashed with Mr Trump in the past, appears undaunted, and did not hold back during at interview on the High Performance podcast which was recorded just before the election, reports The Telegraph.
Branding Mr Trump “sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic, racist”, he added: “It’s personal, let’s be frank. If I wasn’t this colour, if I wasn’t a practising Muslim, he wouldn’t have come for me.
“He wasn’t criticising me because I’m five foot six. He was coming for me because of – let’s be frank – my ethnicity and my religion, so it’s incredibly personal to me.”
In 2017, Mr Trump, then the US president, invited Mr Khan to an IQ test and blasted his handling of the London Bridge terror attack, accusing him of doing “a terrible job.”
Two years later, he said Mr Khan was “very dumb” and a “stone-cold loser who should focus on crime in London.”
Mr Khan hit back by accusing Mr Trump of “hard-Right populism” and endorsed the plan to fly a giant inflatable ‘Trump baby’ blimp during one of Mr Trump’s diplomatic visits.
Speaking on the podcast, recorded just before the US presidential election, Mr Khan said: “It affects me and my family. What worries me, though, is that it’s not just about me and my family – it’s about the fact that he’s the leader of the free world.
“This is the president of the USA, a country we all admire and love; we love Americans, we love American culture. But America is like a lighthouse. They can be a source of good, spreading hope and love, but also they can spread hate.
“So, you know, the fact that I spoke out against someone whose policies were sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic, racist, wasn’t because I wanted his attention but because I have a responsibility to speak out when something’s impacting not just Londoners but all of us.
“It’s not easy. Would I do it again? Absolutely, because it’s important to speak truth to power, and I’ve got a platform to explain that American policies do affect us sometimes positively, sometimes negatively.”
Despite their history, Mr Khan said he would be open to meeting Mr Trump.
“I would love Donald Trump, whether he wins or not, to come to London.”
Mr Khan continued: “Let me show him around our wonderfully diverse communities.
“I’d take him to the Pride march next summer, to a mosque, to meet some of our communities and show him that it’s perfectly compatible to be a Westerner and a Muslim, and perfectly compatible to treat women with respect, to be a leader and a man.
“It’s perfectly possible to disagree without hostility. Of course, we’re not a homogenous society; we all have our differences. That’s fine – that’s the beauty of democracy. Pluralism is a good thing.”
Mr Trump’s currently unveiling various figures who will serve in his administration, including Elon Musk, who himself stirred up contoversy with comments made about the riots which swept the UK in the summer.
Express.co.uk has contacted Mr Khan to ask if he stands by his criticisms, as well as the Trump campaign.
