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London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has declared that Donald Trump is "not a force for good" whilst warning the US President could be "inadvertently radicalising people". The Labour politician made the comments during an appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, despite saying he would be "more than happy" to meet Trump.
Khan dismissed recent jibes from Trump, who called the London Mayor "a nasty person" who has "done a terrible job" during a visit to Scotland. The Mayor said such remarks were "water off a duck's back", though admitted it sometimes felt like being "nine years old again" and "in the school playground".
Khan fires back at Trump
Speaking at the Political Party show with comedian Matt Forde, Khan hit back at the US President. "Somebody who has views like he does about black people, about women, about gays, about Muslims, about Mexicans, thinks I'm nasty," he said. "Really. He is the leader of the free world, arguably the most powerful man in the world, and really."
Khan revealed that records show unprecedented numbers of Americans have been applying for British citizenship since Trump began his second term in January. "There have never been more Americans applying to British citizenship and living in London" between mid-January and July, he said. "So I think Americans have got good taste by and large."
State visit and radicalisation concerns
The Mayor added that he hoped Trump would come to London during his state visit to the UK next month, stressing that the capital's "diversity" was a "strength, not a weakness". He said London's diversity "makes us stronger not weaker, richer not poorer".
Khan expressed concerns about Trump's impact on society, arguing the President brings dangerous views "from the periphery to the mainstream". He said Trump "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 Mayor spoke out about fears that minorities "could be treated less favourably because of the views of the President of the USA". He accused Trump of "using London and our diversity as a political football, as a proxy for a culture war".
Offer to meet and educate
Despite his criticism, Khan insisted he would be "more than happy to meet President Trump". He said he would seek to show Trump 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 Mayor suggested Trump may have formed negative views of Muslims "because of the actions of a small minority of really bad people who are terrorists and use Islam in a perverted way". He emphasised that terrorists represent "a very small fraction of Muslims across the globe", concluding: "So if there was an opportunity to meet President Trump, I would be more than happy to do so."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
