NEW YORK, Jun 03 (APP): US President Donald Trump, who had mocked London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s height before boarding his presidential plane to start his controversial state visit to the United Kingdom, continued to disparage the Muslim politician, who of Pakistani ancestry, just before landing in London.
In his last statements before departing Washington for the British capital, Trump compared Sadiq Khan to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, one of the strongest critics of the president, and said he was not looking forward to meet him during his stay in London.
“I don’t think much of him. He’s the twin of (Mayor) de Blasio except shorter,” he told reporters at the White House on Sunday.
Khan “who by all accounts has done a terrible job as Mayor of London, has been foolishly ‘nasty’ to the visiting President of the United States, by far the most important ally of the United Kingdom. He is a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me.”
The long simmering feud between President Trump and Sadiq Khan, who was elected as London’s mayor in May 2016, started after Khan’s election. Khan tweeted criticism of then-candidate Trump’s rhetoric, saying that his “ignorant view of Islam could make both our countries less safe. It risks alienating mainstream Muslims.”
Khan later replied to the president’s attacks by tweeting a video where he publicly denounced the U.S. president’s rhetoric and policies.
In a video released in partnership with Elle UK, Khan directed his message right to Trump, saying his values are the “complete opposite of London’s values and the values in this country.”
Trump’s remarks came after Khan, who has made no secret of his disapproval of Trump, described the US leader as the “fascist of the 20th century” in an explosive article Saturday.
Calling Trump a “global threat,” Khan wrote that it was “un-British” to invite him for a state visit.
He accused Trump of deliberately using xenophobic and racist policies such as his travel ban against several Muslim countries as well as his ongoing immigration crackdown as an “electoral tactic” to win more votes.
Khan went on to call Trump the “figurehead” of the global far-right movement and said it was under his watch that people like Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage could gain influence.
“Rather than bestowing Trump with a grand platform of acceptability to the world, we should be speaking out and saying that this behaviour is unacceptable – and that it poses a grave threat to the values and principles we have fought hard to defend – often together – for decades.”
“In years to come, I suspect this state visit will be one we look back on with profound regret and acknowledge that we were on the wrong side of history,” Khan stated.
He called on outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May to “issue a powerful rejection … of Trump and the far-right agenda he embodies.”
Farage, however, took offence at Khan’s remarks and blasted his criticism of the American president.
“I’m sorry, what is wrong with you people? Whether you like him or not, he is the President of the United States of America,” said Farage, who is close friends with Trump and would probably meet him during the trip.
