London Mayor Accuses Trump Of Spreading Division And Fear

London Mayor Sadiq Khan expressed strong disapproval of U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, stating that the president and his allies have "fanned the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world." In an opinion piece published in The Guardian ahead of a planned protest against Trump's ongoing state visit to the United Kingdom, Khan argued that Trump's policies, including mass deportations and the deployment of troops to U.S. cities, are "straight out of the autocrat's playbook" and inconsistent with Western democratic values.

Trump arrived in the UK on Tuesday for his second state visit, which includes ceremonial events at Windsor Castle with King Charles III and Queen Camilla, as well as meetings with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The itinerary largely avoids central London, where thousands of protesters from over 50 groups are expected to gather, prompting the deployment of more than 1,600 Metropolitan Police officers.

Khan, writing in the context of recent far-right demonstrations in the UK, urged British leaders to act as a "critical friend" to the U.S., emphasising the importance of the special relationship while rejecting fear-mongering tactics. He highlighted London's status as a "global success story" that is safer than any U.S. state in terms of homicide rates and called on residents to defend the city's inclusive values.

The longstanding feud between Khan and Trump dates back to Trump's 2015 campaign promise to impose a ban on Muslims entering the U.S., which Khan, London's first Muslim mayor since his election in 2016 as a Labour Party member, publicly opposed. During Trump's 2019 state visit, the two exchanged barbs on social media, with Trump labelling Khan a "stone cold loser".

Tensions escalated in July 2025 when Trump, during a press conference in Scotland, called Khan a "nasty person" who has "done a terrible job" as mayor, while affirming he would still visit London. Khan's latest remarks also reference Trump's immigration enforcement, which has involved large-scale raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since January 2025, detaining and deporting hundreds of thousands, including controversial cases affecting U.S. citizen children and the use of military personnel for operations.

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Khan concluded his article by affirming that "those who seek to divide us will not win," predicting that Londoners would use the protests to convey a unified message against division. The visit occurs amid broader U.S.-UK discussions on trade, Ukraine support, and technology deals, though a proposed tariff elimination on British steel and aluminium has reportedly fallen through. Security remains heightened following incidents like the projection of images of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein onto Windsor Castle, leading to four arrests.

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