Sadiq Khan hopes Donald Trump will be “different from the last time” he was in the White House and said he wants to “work closely” with the new US president.
The mayor of London appeared to take a more conciliatory tone ahead of Trump being sworn in for a second term as president of the United States later today.
It comes amid the pair's fiery, long-running feud, which previously left US President Sir Sadiq a 'stone-cold loser'.
In a furious war of words, Trump accused London's mayor of doing a “very poor job on terrorism” and of being “very stupid” during his last stint as president.
And the extraordinary outbursts against Trump appeared to continue this weekend, following Sir Sadiq's warning of a “resurgent fascism” ahead of his inauguration.
Seemingly in a fresh tone against the returning president, Sir Sadiq urged Labor and the left to “confront” the forces of “reactionary populism”.
'Hard right and extreme right are on the rise. These are deeply worrying times,” the mayor of London wrote in a piece for The Observer.
Sir Sadiq's comments threatened to further inflame tensions between Washington and Downing Street, prompting a political blow from a Labor minister.
Sadiq Khan hopes Trump's second term will be 'different' from his first, which saw him fall out with London's mayor in an extraordinary war of words
Sir Sadiq (pictured in November 2024) has previously criticized Trump in a series of critical outbursts
And now, as Trump prepares for his second visit to Washington, Sir Sadiq appears to have toned down his verbal tirade against the 78-year-old.
Ahead of today's inauguration, Sir Sadiq stressed that as someone “who believes in democracy, voting and elections, we must recognize the fact that Donald Trump is the elected President of the United States.”
And he claimed he now wanted to “work closely with the American president.”
But he added, “Let's keep our fingers crossed that this president is different than the last time he was president.”
Sir Sadiq and Trump have made no secret of their disdain for each other.
They clashed as recently as May when he decried the American politician's joke that London was “unrecognizable” because the city had “opened its doors to jihad”.
Celebrating winning a third term as mayor earlier this year, Sir Sadiq said Londoners had “slammed the door” on Trump's “hard-right populism”.
And when Trump stormed home in the US election in November, Sir Sadiq initially declined to congratulate him – although he later did.
President-elect Donald Trump gestures to the crowd after his victory rally at Capital One Arena on January 19, 2025 in Washington DC
Trump stands next to Village People member Victor Willis at a rally the day before he is inaugurated for a second term
Sir Sadiq's feud with Trump dates back to his first stint as US president. Pictured is a controversial Trump 'baby blimp' that was allowed to fly into Parliament Square in 2019 during a protest against Trump's state visit
Sir Sadiq has also accused Trump of criticizing him for his “ethnicity” and his Muslim faith.
During a podcast broadcast in November, the mayor of London – a son of Pakistani immigrants in Britain – said he saw the previous attacks on him as “incredibly personal”.
“If I didn't have this skin color, if I wasn't a practicing Muslim, he wouldn't have come after me,” he told the High Performance podcast, which interviews prominent people from different sectors.
“He's coming for me because of, let's face it, my ethnicity and my religion.”
Writing in The Observer this weekend, Sir Sadiq said: 'These are deeply worrying times, especially if you are a member of a minority community.'
Sir Sadiq also condemned “financial lenders who selfishly choose to put the profits of their companies above the interests of our democracies” in a dig at Elon Musk.
Sir Sadiq wrote this weekend that the far right was 'on the march'
Sir Sadiq also condemned 'financers who selfishly choose to put the profits of their companies above the interests of our democracies' in a dig at Elon Musk (pictured on Sunday)
“Progressives across the Western world are facing a century-defining challenge – and the stakes for liberal democracy could not be higher,” he wrote.
'The extreme right is on the rise. These are very worrying times, especially if you are a member of a minority community. As historians and commentators today encounter more and more echoes of the 1920s and 1930s, we cannot afford to throw in the towel.
'We should have no doubt: this is a dangerous moment. The specter of a resurgent fascism haunts the West…
“To fend off the far right, we must be fearless in the defense of our democracy and values, and in our determination to improve the well-being and material conditions of our communities.”
Trump arrives to attend a rally the day before he is to be inaugurated for a second term
But his comments sparked a row among Labor leaders, who were desperately trying to smooth relations between the party and Trump after fiercely critical comments from senior leaders in the past.
In 2018, current Secretary of State David Lammy branded Trump a “misogynistic, neo-Nazi-sympathizing sociopath” and a “tyrant.”
While a backbencher in 2019, ahead of Trump's state visit to Britain, he posted on social media that Trump was “misguided, dishonest, xenophobic, narcissistic” and “no friend of Britain.” He has since dismissed his comments as “old news.”
And yesterday, following Sir Sadiq's latest comments, Chancellor of the Exchequer Darren Jones was forced to bluntly reject the attack during a series of morning interviews, insisting the government respected Mr Trump's mandate.
'I don't agree with that. President Trump won a huge election victory in the US. As a democracy, we support democracy and the American people elected Donald Trump and the Republican Party,” he told the BBC with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Darren Jones slammed Sir Sadiq after his piece in the Observer
As a backbench MP, Foreign Secretary David Lammy (pictured with Keir Starmer) has previously criticized Trump, labeling him a “misogynistic, neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath”.
Pressed about why Sir Sadiq was making such interventions as Labor struggles to forge ties with the new US administration, Mr Jones said: “He may, but I don't agree with it. I speak on behalf of the government and we do not agree with it.'
Khan's previous outbursts have strained relations between Labor and the White House.
Before Trump took the oath of office in Washington, Prime Minister Keir Starmer sent his “warmest congratulations” as he sought to play on Trump's love for Britain.
“With President Trump's longstanding affection and historic ties to Britain, I know the friendship will endure,” the Prime Minister said.
Sir Keir added: “We will continue to build on the unwavering foundations of our historic alliance as we tackle together the global challenges we face and take our partnership to the next level, focused on shared opportunities for growth.”
