Dear reader, online ads enable us to deliver the journalism you value. Please support us by taking a moment to
Trump in new Twitter attack on London's mayor
US President Donald Trump launched a fresh attack Saturday on London Mayor Sadiq Khan, backing a right-wing British columnist who has been widely accused of Islamophobia and once called migrants "cockroaches".
Trump attached his latest denunciation of the mayor to a retweet by Katie Hopkins about crime in "Khan's Londonistan" — using a term widely perceived as a pejorative reference to the British capital's Muslim population and Khan's Pakistan ancestry.
"LONDON needs a new mayor ASAP. Khan is a disaster — will only get worse!" Trump wrote in response to Hopkins' tweet, later adding the mayor was "a national disgrace who is destroying" the city.
Earlier this month the president's plane had not even touched down in London for the start of a state visit when he tweeted that Khan was a "stone cold loser". Khan had criticised the red carpet treatment being given Trump for the visit.
Read: Your values are the opposite of the values in this country, says Sadiq Khan to Donald Trump
Trump said the mayor should "focus on crime in London, not me," and made a derisive reference to Khan's height. Khan, London's first Muslim mayor, had led opposition to Trump's visit, writing a newspaper article in which he compared the US leader to European dictators from the 1930s and 1940s.
At that time, the mayor's spokesman called Trump's tweets "childish" and "beneath the president of the United States". On a trip to London in July last year, Trump accused Khan of doing "a very bad job on terrorism," linking immigration to a deadly wave of crime in London.
The feud began when Khan, the son of a bus driver who emigrated from Pakistan in the 1960s, criticised Trump's travel ban on people from certain Muslim countries.
Hopkins, who wrote in support of Trump's election campaign during her time at the Daily Mail, has been dogged by numerous allegations of Islamophobia and hate speech during her career as a columnist.
Read: UN urges British tabloid to curb incitement to hatred
Her description of migrants as "cockroaches" in 2015 prompted a rebuke by former UN High Commissioner for Refugees Zeid Ra'ad Al Husein, who said Hopkins had used language similar to that employed by some Rwandan media outlets in the run-up to the 1994 genocide, and by the Nazis in the 1930s.
Comments (34) Closed
Sadiq Khan is playing with fire here. The average white Londoner will disregard his rational arguments and side with the clownish remarks of Trump. Such is the power of skin color.
As usual, Trump is unjustly criticizing and interfering in other countries affairs to be in limelight. He should focus on other important issues like increase in world population, environmental control and poverty alleviation programme rather than being a proclaimed world leader and dividing world towards unnecessary wars.
@Fire, maybe a sizeable percentage of white Britons do like Trump (very closely aligned with those who voted to leave the EU) the large majority of white Londoners don't like Trump at all (and likewise didn't vote to leave the EU). Also it was Londoners, the majority of whom are white that voted for Sadiq Khan for mayor. So, your blanket statement does not stand up to the slightest bit of critique and begs the question as to how you reached such an ill informed conclusion and felt confident enough in it, to put it out there for people to read? I'd be interested to hear.
Indirectly Trump is endorsing him for second term by issuing rational comments and rebukes
Sadiq Khan is seasoned politician and widely honoured throughout the world. While Trump widely criticized. This is the difference.
@Fire, I slightly disagree with you. If the Londoners were that foolish, they would have never voted for him. I said slightly because in general, I agree, with the white skin superiority complex but that the people of sub-continent has that too
The whole story is way below level of Trump. What does he wish to achieve by targeting a city mayor in another country?
maybe america needs a new president. they have become a laughing stock around the woeld. ther politics is a comedy show. white house is a family business.
Well done Sadique Khan your stature has been raised by Trump. President of only super power of the world discussing about you. You should be thankful to Trump. Only important people come under discussion.
It is amazing how much Trump can get away with as a President of the US. He will bring down the American empire and his voter base will have to pick up the pieces
@Fire, Well Said. Never seen such a concise analysis. So True!
Sadique Khan may not be the ideal mayor but I agree that this loudmouth Yank did not deserve red carpet treatment. He should take care of his own country and let the UK deal with its own problems. He shouldn't have been allowed to discuss the Prince of WHALES.
Seriously, what is he thinking. Seems like a cheap publicity stunt.
May be US needs a new president ASAP!
@sfomann, you're projecting your own prejudices. Do you know many white Londoners? London has many BAME MPs and local councillors, so clearly skin colour is not really an issue to getting public support here.
@M. Saeed Awan, Sadiq Khan has proved to be a lame duck so far, with good intentions but lacking in confidence and stature!
London needs a new Mayor and Pakistan a new leader. Sadiq Khan may be your man!
Racism and bigotry is at peak.
@M. Saeed Awan, sadiq who?
@Fire — You underestimate the IQ of average white Londoners.
This (my) demographic are not as dumb as you portray or would like to think. Londons’ “average white” population are well aware of Trumps ignorant/racist/bigoted bullying attempt on our (muslim) Mayor. Donalds’ retweets of British extremists (Hopkins, Britain First, et al), have ruined the US presidents’ credibility here — forever.
He can tweet abuse as much as he likes, it won't make any real difference here. We know what a genuine leader looks (and sounds) like: Mayor Sadiq wins that comparison hands-down.
Simply because Mr. Trump isn't welcome in London/UK, he has childish tantrums. A lot of them. This latest disinformation is him venting at what he perceives as some slight or insult which he has taken personally rather than being professional or presidential.
Trump has no traction here. He is a clown. A very stupid and spiteful clown. It was embarrassing that Theresa May invited him (twice!). Sad!
Trump should be looking at the crime data for Chicago and other big cities in US. London is doing 100 times better than his own backyard NYC.
@Fire, sometimes telling the truth is akin to playing with fire. Those on the right side of the history have never been afraid of telling the truth.
Trump is playing Russia by his such statements.
@charlie west, Down with Trump. I hope Americans don't elect him again.
@M. Siddique, indeed! But I think they will. If the perception is that he is good for the US economy then that will probably be enough for him. Economy is usually the primary motive for voters. And actually thus far, while there has been a lot of noise and controversy, there haven't been many policy disasters solely attributable to Trump, certainly from his support base point of view.
@Starkoman,
^^ Thumbs up to everything this guy said.
Trump will not be reelected. He can say whatever he wishes. His words will not carry any weight when he is a private citizen.
@Tarique Paul,
He should take care of his own country and let the UK deal with its own problems." Are you sure? If that be so all world bodies , association etc are only made / created to look into other countries.
@Fire,
Mr. Fire,
The majority of Londoners has elected Mr. Sadiq Khan.
@Deep,
Mr. Deep,
Mr. Sadiq Khan is for Londoners.
@Starkoman , Very well said.
@Faisal Salman, not 'may be' but definitely needs immediately.
Am I missing the point here? Look the individuals, why is London not as safe as a have known it to be?
Britain still gave a red carpet treatment and will seaways do so as they are one ally’s