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LONDON — London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan thinks Donald Trump is a racist, a sexist, and a homophobe — and wants his own Labour party to do more to “call him out.”
Last week Labour — on course for power on current polling — extended what appeared to be an olive branch to the Republican presidential hopeful when foreign affairs chief David Lammy said Trump was “often misunderstood” on policy.
Lammy, who has been a fierce critic of Trump in the past, has been building links with key Republicans in Washington as Labour eyes power.
But while Khan accepted he had “more latitude” than some of his colleagues to speak freely, the London mayor told POLITICO Trump was far from “misunderstood.”
“I’m quite clear, I understand on Trump,” said Khan. “He’s a racist. He’s a sexist. He’s a homophobe. And it’s very important, particularly when you’ve got a special relationship, that you treat them as a best mate.
“If my best mate was a racist, or a sexist or a homophobe, I’d call him out and I’d explain to him why those views are wrong.”
‘I worry about a Trump presidency’
Polls suggest Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for this year’s U.S. presidential election, has every chance of returning to the Oval Office for a second term. Labour, too, appears on the verge of government — and is increasingly aware it may end up having to work with a possible second Trump administration.
But London’s mayor, who is in a fighting mood after this month having been re-elected for an unprecedented third term, says he is concerned.
“I worry about a Donald Trump presidency,” Khan said.
“You know, I’ve been speaking to governors from America. I’ve been speaking to mayors from America. Of course, we’ll have a relationship whoever the president is. But we shouldn’t be literally rolling out a red carpet for a state visit.
“It’s really important that we of course, have good relations with Democrats and Republicans. But I lost count of the amount of Republicans I’ve spoken to who are also worried about a Trump presidency.”
Khan and Trump have history, with an extended feud between the pair going back to 2015 when both were standing for office. In 2016 the American politician memorably challenged the mayor to an IQ test after Khan branded his views on Muslims “ignorant.”
And in 2019 just before arriving in London for a state visit, Trump took to social media to describe Khan as a “stone cold loser” and “very dumb.”
Fresh from his third victory in a row, Khan wasn’t going to let that one lie.
He told POLITICO: “Listen, I’ve got more latitude as a mayor to just to say what I feel about Trump, and I make this point. He called me a ‘stone cold loser’. I’ve won three. How many has he won?”
