Key Takeaways:
– London Mayor Sadiq Khan suggests that the past negative remarks from US President-elect Donald Trump were personally pointed towards him due to his ethnicity and religion.
– Previous criticisms from Trump labelled Kahn a “stone cold loser” and critiqued his handling of terrorism.
– Many Labour party members including Prime Minister Keir Starmer have strived to maintain a positive relationship with Trump, opposing Khan’s stance.
The Ongoing Clash Between Khan and Trump
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has purported that the numerous criticisms he received from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump were directly influenced by his ethnicity and Muslim faith. This statement is expected to fuel the longstanding feud between Khan and Trump.
Throughout Trump’s first term in presidency, the two leaders engaged in a highly public skirmish sparked by Khan’s opposition to a U.S. travel ban on certain Muslim countries. On numerous occasions, Trump openly criticized Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital, accusing him of doing a “very bad job on terrorism” and calling him a “stone cold loser” and “very dumb.”
In response, Khan authorized the use of an unflattering caricature, a blimp known as Baby Trump, to fly over Parliament Square during Trump’s 2018 visit to the U.K. The 20-foot blimp, depicting Trump as a furious, smartphone-wielding infant, was a noticeable fixture in the protests against his visit.
Khan Points to Personal Bias
Discussing the fraught history in a recent podcast, Khan explained that he saw the past criticisms as “incredibly personal.” He said, “If I wasn’t this color skin, if I wasn’t a practicing Muslim, he wouldn’t have come for me.” This statement suggests that his clash with Trump had deeper roots than mere political discord.
Khan credited his ethnicity and religion as the main factors contributing to Trump’s consistent targeting. He also viewed it as a responsibility to speak against someone whose policies he regarded as sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic, and racist.
Contrast In British Labour Party Stance
In sharp contrast to Khan’s assessment, many members of the British Labour Party, which currently holds power in Britain, have worked towards a positive relationship with Trump. Numerous Labour members of Parliament, including Foreign Secretary David Lammy, expressed critical views of Trump during his first term.
However, since gaining senior government positions, their views seems to have softened. Last week, Lammy dismissed his previous labeling of Trump as a “woman-hating, neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath” as “old news.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in particular, has made efforts to strengthen the relationship with the president-elect. He quickly congratulated Trump on his “historic election victory,” mentioning that their phone call was “very positive, very constructive.”
Starmer believes that the special relationship between the U.K. and U.S. would continue to “prosper” in Trump’s second term. This shows a stark difference in the stance of other Labour party members compared to Khan’s position.
The contrasting opinions show the complexity within the Labour party’s management of its relationship with the divisive U.S. president-elect. Despite Khan’s personal views, the party continues to attempt a balancing act between keeping a positive rapport with the U.S. and managing internal attitudes towards Trump. Only time will tell how these relationships evolve in the future.