London Mayor Sadiq Khan has accused U.S. President Donald Trump of attacking the British capital out of envy, arguing that Trump’s repeated criticisms stem from jealousy rather than genuine concern about London’s governance or safety.
Speaking in a newspaper interview, Sir Sadiq suggested that the American president resents London’s global stature and success. “I think some of this may be a president who’s jealous he hasn’t got any global cities in the US that can compete with London,” he said. While acknowledging New York’s international importance, Khan added that it was “probably the second greatest city in the world,” placing London firmly at the top.
The mayor also challenged Trump on transport infrastructure, inviting comparisons between London’s modern Elizabeth Line and subway systems in U.S. cities. “I’d be happy to compare Trump’s favourite city’s subway with our Elizabeth Line,” he remarked.
The comments mark the latest chapter in a long-running feud between the Labour mayor, who has held office since 2016, and the Republican president, who returned to the White House earlier this month. Trump has repeatedly launched personal attacks on Khan, calling him “an incompetent mayor” and a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor,” and claiming that “London’s a different place” under his leadership.
Sir Sadiq has dismissed those remarks, questioning whether Trump has developed an unhealthy obsession with the capital. Trump has previously alleged that parts of London are “no-go zones” for police, a claim echoed by Vice President JD Vance in 2024, when he controversially suggested the city was becoming “an Islamist country.”
In response, Khan mounted a strong defence of London’s safety record, arguing that the capital compares favourably with major U.S. cities. “There are far fewer homicides in London than in any state in the US, far fewer than in New York, LA or Chicago,” he told the Financial Times.
The mayor said London has become a proxy battleground in a broader culture war and warned that hostile rhetoric from high-profile figures has helped fuel racism within the city. According to Khan, Trump’s attacks say more about American insecurities than about any real failings in London’s governance.
Sir Sadiq also criticised British politicians who speak negatively about the capital, calling such behaviour unpatriotic. He said he was more disappointed by domestic critics than by Trump, whose motives he claimed to understand. “I can see that they are worried about London’s success,” he said.
Defending the city’s identity, Khan argued that London’s diversity and openness make it a target for political attacks. “That’s because we are a diverse, progressive, liberal and multicultural city that’s incredibly successful,” he said. “We’re the antithesis of all the stuff they talk about.”
Beyond the transatlantic dispute, the mayor also used the interview to issue a warning to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer over tax policy. Khan cautioned against measures that could drive wealthy residents out of the capital, defending people with non-domiciled tax status. “The idea that all non-doms are bogeymen is not my experience,” he said.
As the verbal sparring continues, the clash between London’s mayor and the U.S. president underscores how the capital’s global role and identity remain at the centre of an increasingly heated political debate on both sides of the Atlantic.
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