Donald Trump and his allies have done “the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years”, Sir Sadiq Khan has said.
As the US president arrived in the UK for his historic second state visit, the London mayor attacked him for “scapegoating minorities, illegally deporting US citizens and deploying the military to the streets of diverse cities”.
“These actions aren’t just inconsistent with Western values – they’re straight out of the autocrat’s playbook,” Sir Sadiq added.
The London mayor has reignited his long-running feud with the president ahead of the state visit. On Tuesday he mocked Mr Trump over figures showing a record number of US applications for UK citizenship, for which he credited Britain’s “liberal values”.
In an article for The Guardian on Wednesday, he said: “I understand the UK government’s position of being pragmatic on the international stage and wanting to maintain a good relationship with the leader of the most powerful country in the world.
“But it’s also important to ensure our special relationship includes being open and honest with each other. At times, this means being a critical friend and speaking truth to power – and being clear that we reject the politics of fear and division.”
Sir Sadiq called for Sir Keir Starmer to pile pressure on the US president to back Ukraine, take climate change seriously, and use his leverage to end Israel’s assault on Gaza.
“We must also tell President Trump and his supporters to stop talking down and denigrating our great capital city,” he added.
Mr Trump hailed the UK as a “very special place” ahead of the first full day of the state visit. The US president said he “loves” Britain and that there are “a lot of things here that warm my heart”.
Mr Trump and Sir Sadiq’s long-running row started during the US president’s first term, with Sir Sadiq railing against his pledge to ban Muslims from the US. Mr Trump described Sir Sadiq as “a stone-cold loser” and “very dumb”. In July Mr Trump went further, describing Sir Sadiq as a “nasty person” while Sir Keir looked on.
Sir Sadiq pointed to the weekend’s protests, organised by Tommy Robinson, as an effect of politicians “refusing to condemn the rising tide of hatred in this country, instead choosing to dabble in dog-whistle politics and dangerous rhetoric themselves”.
He attacked Elon Musk’s “fight back or you die” remark as a rallying cry against the UK.
And he added: “President Donald Trump and his coterie have perhaps done the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years. When he came to the UK on his first state visit, I highlighted how the president had deliberately used xenophobia, racism and ‘otherness’ as an electoral tactic, introducing a travel ban on a number of Muslim-majority countries and praising white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“Six years later, the tactics we see from today’s White House seem no different.”
The Stop Trump Coalition has promised days of demonstrations during Mr Trump’s state visit, though his schedule will allow him to avoid most of them. Sir Sadiq said: “Those who seek to divide us will find a city determined to defend its liberal, democratic values more fiercely than ever.”
