Sadiq Khan Says He Is Open To Meeting Trump Despite Insults

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said he would be willing to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, despite being the target of personal attacks.

Khan, who has previously warned that Trump is “not a force for good” and risks unintentionally radicalising people with his rhetoric, dismissed the president’s jabs as “water off a duck’s back.”

During a visit to Scotland, Trump called Khan “a nasty person” who had done “a terrible job” as London Mayor. Speaking at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Khan likened the exchange to being “back in the school playground.”

On the Political Party show with comedian Matt Forde, Khan responded: “Somebody who has views like he does about black people, about women, about gays, about Muslims, about Mexicans, thinks I’m nasty. Really. He is the leader of the free world, arguably the most powerful man in the world, and really.”

Khan pointed out that record numbers of Americans have applied for British citizenship and moved to London since Trump began his second term in January, adding: “I think Americans have got good taste by and large.”

Despite sharp disagreements, Khan expressed hope that Trump would visit London during his upcoming UK state visit, stressing that the capital’s “diversity” was “a strength, not a weakness.”

He warned that Trump’s rhetoric risked pushing extremist views into the mainstream, saying the president could inadvertently radicalise individuals. He accused Trump of using London’s diversity as “a political football” in a broader culture war.

Still, the Mayor maintained he would welcome a meeting with Trump, saying he wanted to demonstrate that “it is possible to be proud to be a westerner and proud to be Muslim, to be British and of Pakistani origin, and to be a law-abiding citizen.”

“I suspect President Trump may have formed a view of Muslims because of the actions of a small minority of terrorists who misuse Islam. What I would want him to know is that they represent only a tiny fraction of Muslims worldwide. So if there was an opportunity to meet President Trump, I would be more than happy to do so,” Khan said.