Sadiq Khan accuses Donald Trump of being ‘obsessed’ with him in latest row
The mayor of London has hit back after being criticised by Donald Trump, saying it is “absurd” he has attracted so much attention from the US president.
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The pair have been locked in an almost decade long war of words since the President’s 2017 state visit.
Sir Sadiq Khan told the Big Issue magazine that London is the “antithesis” of all Mr Trump believes in.
He said: “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.
“President Trump, objectively speaking, is 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.
“Look at London. 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.
“So I can understand why he wants to spread disinformation about this dystopian version of London because Londoners have chosen this guy who’s a Muslim of Pakistani origin.”
The mayor said the president’s rhetoric is dangerous, adding: “The problem is, he’s brought into the mainstream views that should be in the periphery.”
Mr Trump previously called Khan a "disaster" and a "horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor" in a previous feud earlier this year.
He said: “I mean, look at… your mayor of London. He’s a disaster. He’s a disaster."
“He’s got a totally different ideology of what he’s supposed to have. And he gets elected because so many people have come in.”
The president added: “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 think President Trump has shown he is racist, he is sexist, he is misogynistic and he is Islamophobic," Sir Sadiq told Sky News in September.