During his UK state visit, Donald Trump revealed he specifically asked for one person to be excluded from the Windsor Castle banquet: London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
The former US president and First Lady Melania Trump recently returned from a two-day UK trip, which drew attention for Trump’s alleged breaches of royal protocol and Melania’s fashion choices. At a state banquet attended by figures like Tim Cook, Rupert Murdoch, and Sam Altman, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One:
“I asked that he [Khan] not be there. He wanted to be there, I didn’t want him.”
However, the BBC reported Khan neither sought nor expected an invite. Trump called him “one of the worst mayors in the world,” accusing him of mismanaging immigration and crime.
Khan’s camp responded: “Trump’s politics is rooted in fear and division. London is thriving — open, dynamic, and safer than many US cities.”
Their feud dates back to 2015, when Khan criticized Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban. It escalated over time, including Trump’s criticism of Khan’s handling of terror attacks and the approval of the “Trump baby” blimp in 2019.
The animosity persists. As recently as July, Trump called Khan “a nasty person,” prompting PM Keir Starmer to defend the mayor. Protests during Trump’s visit included a projection of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein on Windsor Castle, resulting in four arrests.
Though meant to boost US-UK relations, the visit also reignited one of Trump’s longest-running personal feuds.
