Donald Trump has been mocked by Sadiq Khan after the London Mayor claimed the US President “has a crush on me” following their latest public clash.
The pair have traded insults for more than a decade, and the row flared up again this week after Trump unexpectedly criticised Khan during remarks in the Oval Office.
Calling the mayor a “bad person” and a “horrible representative” for Britain, Trump added: “I do not want to cause any problems, but your Mayor of London is grossly incompetent.”
Khan refused to let the comments go unanswered during the launch of London’s Heat Ready Plan at Islington Fire Station.
“I am not sure why I am living rent free inside President Trump’s head,” he said.
“I am not quite clear why this man appears to have a crush on me.
“It could be because I am the mayor of a progressive, multicultural, liberal and successful city.”
Khan pointed to London’s recent success in winning the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize, one of the world’s leading awards for urban planning, saying it may explain why Trump was upset.
The latest exchange is another chapter in a feud that stretches back to 2015. Khan criticised Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States while Trump was campaigning for the presidency.
After Khan became Mayor of London in 2016, he described Trump’s views on Islam as ignorant, prompting Trump to challenge him to an IQ test.
The dispute intensified after the 2017 London Bridge terror attack when Trump wrongly suggested Khan had told Londoners there was “no reason to be alarmed.” Khan had in fact been reassuring the public that there was no reason to worry about the increased police presence following the attack.
Speaking separately to the Press Association, Khan ruled out returning to Westminster despite Andy Burnham becoming Prime Minister this week.
“I have got the best job in politics,” he said.
Khan said he was looking forward to working with Burnham, describing him as a friend and former Cabinet colleague.
He also paid tribute to Sir Keir Starmer after the outgoing Prime Minister announced he would step down, praising him for rebuilding the Labour Party following its heavy defeat at the 2019 General Election.
