Sadiq Khan has said he would be “more than happy” to meet Donald Trump – despite warning that the US President could be “inadvertently radicalising people” and is “not a force for good”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has expressed his willingness to meet with US President Donald Trump, despite previously cautioning that the President’s actions could unintentionally radicalise individuals and asserting that he is “not a force for good”.
Khan brushed off recent insults from President Trump during his visit to Scotland, where he labelled the London Mayor as “a nasty person” who has “done a terrible job”. The Labour politician shrugged off such comments as “water off a duck’s back”.
However, speaking at an event at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he likened the experience to being “nine years old again” and feeling like he was “in the school playground”.
In response to the US President’s remarks, Sir Sadiq, while appearing on the Political Party show with comedian Matt Forde, retorted: “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.”
He highlighted that records indicate a surge in Americans applying for British citizenship and residing in London since the start of Mr Trump’s second term in January this year.
The Mayor quipped: “So I think Americans have got good taste by and large.”
He also expressed hope that the President would visit London during his state visit to the UK next month, emphasising that the capital’s “diversity” is a “strength, not a weakness”.
Discussing the city’s diversity, he asserted: “I think it makes us stronger not weaker, richer not poorer.”
He expressed concern over President Trump’s rhetoric, stating, “And when President Trump says some of the things he does, it brings from the periphery to the mainstream, views that are potentially dangerous.
“He inadvertently – I’m not going to suggest he does it deliberately – he inadvertently could be radicalising people with views that could lead to them doing things that are dangerous.”
The London Mayor voiced fears that minorities “could be treated less favourably because of the views of the President of the USA”, accusing Mr Trump of “using London and our diversity as a political football, as a proxy for a culture war”.
Despite personal attacks, the Mayor remained unfazed, saying, “On a personal level, it is water off a duck’s back, but we can’t run away from the fact that there are some really serious challenges we face as a western society and President Trump, in my view, I speak generally, isn’t a force for good.”
However, he maintained his willingness to meet with President Trump, expressing his desire to demonstrate that it is “possible to be proud to be a westerner and a proud to be Muslim, that it is possible to be British, and proud to be British, and be of Pakistani origin and be a law abiding citizen and we aren’t three headed monsters”.
The Labour politician stated: “I suspect President Trump may have formed a view of Muslims because of the actions of a small minority of really bad people who are terrorists and use Islam in a perverted way.
“What I would want President Trump to know is that is a very small fraction of Muslims across the globe.
“So if there was an opportunity to meet President Trump, I would be more than happy to do so.”
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