US Politics
Sadiq Khan accuses Trump of having ‘absurd obsession’ with him as he reignites war of words
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London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has dismissed criticism from Donald Trump, describing the attention from the US president as “absurd”.
Sir Sadiq told the Big Issue magazine that the capital stands as the “antithesis” of everything Mr Trump represents.
“It’s absurd that President Trump is obsessed with me. It’s like I’m living rent-free inside this guy’s head for 10 years now,” Sir Sadiq stated.
He characterised Trump as “objectively speaking, a nativist. He’s a protectionist and a unilateralist. He believes in mono-ethnicism. He believes in the superiority of his religion, Christianity, and of Americans.”
In stark contrast, Sir Sadiq championed London as “a city that is progressive, liberal, diverse, multicultural and the greatest city in the world. So we are the antithesis of all he believes in.”
He suggested that Trump’s desire to “spread disinformation about this dystopian version of London” stems from Londoners having elected “this guy who’s a Muslim of Pakistani origin.”
The mayor also voiced concerns over the broader implications of Mr Trump’s rhetoric, adding: “The problem is, he’s brought into the mainstream views that should be in the periphery.”
Back in December, Trump branded Khan a horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor” as he criticised immigration to the UK.
In an extraordinary interview, the US president singled out the London mayor, calling him a “disaster” and suggesting he has done a “terrible job”.
He said of Mr Khan, the city’s first Muslim mayor, whose parents came from Pakistan: “He gets elected because so many people have come in [to the UK]. They vote for him now.
“He’s a horrible mayor. He’s an incompetent mayor, but he’s a horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor. I think he’s done a terrible job. London’s a different place. I love London. I love London. And I hate to see it happen.”
Trump has repeatedly attacked Khan since 2015, when the Labour politician condemned the then presidential hopeful’s suggestion of a Muslim travel ban to the US.