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Donald Trump excluded Sadiq Khan from the Royal Banquet and criticized his leadership as the London Mayor.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan and US President Donald Trump.
US President Donald Trump admitted he personally asked for London Mayor Sadiq Khan to be excluded from the Royal Banquet during his state visit to the UK this week, calling him “among the worst mayors in the world” and comparing him to the mayor of Chicago.
“Well, I didn’t want him there. I asked that he not be there,” Donald Trump said when asked about Khan’s absence. He added, “The Mayor of London, Khan, is among the worst in the world… he’s the equivalent of the Mayor of Chicago. Mayor Khan has done a terrible job. On immigration, he’s a disaster. I’ve not liked him for a long time. I have a certain pride in London and the UK – my mother was born in Scotland. And when I see Mayor Khan doing a bad job – the stabbings, the dirt, the filth – it’s not the same. No, I didn’t want him there.”
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Donald Trump’s remarks came during his second state visit to Britain. At the Buckingham Palace banquet he chose to exclude Sadiq Khan from, the US President struck a different note, declaring the bond between the US and UK to be “unbreakable.”
The UK government used the occasion to announce a £150 billion “Tech Prosperity Deal” with US companies, including £31 billion from American tech giants for AI infrastructure and a £90 billion investment from Blackstone over the next decade.
Despite the lavish state visit and promised investments, Britain left with limited concrete wins. The White House maintained its 10% tariff on British goods, a rate still far higher than when Donald Trump took office. Hopes of lifting US tariffs on UK steel exports were also dashed, further straining the struggling industry.
On foreign policy, Donald Trump avoided a direct clash with Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his plan to recognize a Palestinian state, though he signaled disagreement. On Ukraine, Donald Trump criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin but made no new commitments, saying he would only step up pressure on Moscow once NATO countries halted purchases of Russian oil and gas.
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
September 19, 2025, 16:32 IST
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