President Donald Trump reignited his long-running feud with London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Monday, delivering a fresh round of criticism while seated beside U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Speaking from his Trump Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire during a joint appearance with Starmer, Trump was asked whether he plans to visit London during his state visit in September.
“I will,” Trump responded. “I’m not a fan of your mayor. I think he’s done a terrible job. The Mayor of London… a nasty person.”
The moment quickly turned awkward as Starmer, visibly trying to ease tensions, interjected: “He’s a friend of mine, actually.”
REPORTER: Will you visit London during your state visit?@POTUS: “I will. I’m not a fan of your mayor… I think he’s done a terrible job, the Mayor of London. He’s a nasty person.” pic.twitter.com/9rKhWMthlV
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 28, 2025
Trump, undeterred, reiterated, “I think he’s done a terrible job. But I would certainly visit London.”
The unscripted exchange marked the latest episode in a yearslong war of words between Trump and Khan, who have frequently clashed over politics, identity, and leadership. The prime minister’s attempt to defend his Labour Party colleague appeared to do little to soften Trump’s blunt assessment.
A spokesperson for Khan responded with pointed sarcasm: “Sadiq is delighted that President Trump wants to come to the greatest city in the world. He’d see how our diversity makes us stronger, not weaker; richer, not poorer.”
The animosity between Trump and Khan dates back to at least 2016, when Trump, then a presidential candidate, challenged Khan to an IQ test after the mayor criticized Trump’s comments about Islam as “ignorant.” Since then, Trump has repeatedly called Khan a “stone-cold loser,” “very dumb,” and “a terrible mayor.”
Their feud escalated during Trump’s 2019 state visit to the United Kingdom, when Khan permitted the now-infamous “Baby Trump” blimp, depicting the president as a diapered infant, to be flown over London in protest.
Khan has also accused Trump of singling him out because of his ethnicity and religion, stating in interviews that “if I wasn’t Muslim and from an ethnic minority background, I suspect Donald Trump wouldn’t be attacking me.”
Just a day before his remarks about the mayor, Trump emerged from a closed-door meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, touting what he called “the biggest deal ever made.”
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In just 75 minutes, Trump and von der Leyen reached a sweeping $1.35 trillion preliminary agreement that includes $750 billion in European purchases of U.S. energy products, $600 billion in new European investment into the United States, and a major defense procurement deal for U.S. military equipment.
“I think it’s the biggest deal ever made,” Trump said. “It’s going to bring us closer together. I think this deal will bring us very close together.”
