Sadiq Khan FINALLY congratulates Trump on election win after their long-running feud – saying the returning US president deserves the ‘benefit of the doubt’_Nhy
Sadiq Khan finally congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory today after their long-running feud.
The London Mayor said he wanted to give the president-elect the ‘benefit of the doubt’ despite fears that he ‘poses problems’.
Mr Khan carefully stopped short of congratulating Mr Trump as the US results rolled in last week, instead noting that Londoners would be ‘fearful’ about his return.
But speaking during an LBC phone-in, Mr Khan said he was ‘putting out the hand of friendship’.
‘Firstly it’s really important I say this because I abide by the rules of the game,’ he said.
‘Donald Trump has won the election; he’s going to be the president in January. And I wish him well, I congratulate him on winning the election.
Sadiq Khan said he wanted to give the president-elect the ‘benefit of the doubt’ despite fears that he ‘poses problems’
Mr Khan carefully stopped short of congratulating Mr Trump (pictured) as the US results rolled in last week, instead noting that Londoners would be ‘fearful’ about his return
‘But clearly, we know from his record when he was president between 2016 and 2020 and also some of the things he’s campaigned on, there are anxieties that Londoners have, which my job as the mayor is to articulate those.’
‘I think the three things that even Donald Trump supporters would agree with is his policies are protectionist, nativist, and unilateralist,’ he added.
‘I think that poses problems not just for our great country and the world but also for London.’
Mr Khan later added: ‘Now JD Vance, Elon Musk and others may have changed their mind about Trump, I haven’t but I’m giving the president-elect the benefit of the doubt and let’s hope, fingers crossed, this president, during this term, is different from the last one.’
Like many other Labour politicians, including Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the mayor has previously been outspoken about his disdain for Mr Trump.
They clashed as recently as May when he slammed the American politician’s jibe that London was ‘unrecognisable’ because the city had ‘opened its doors to jihad’.
As he celebrated winning a third term as mayor earlier this year, Mr Khan said Londoners had ‘slammed the door shut’ on Mr Trump’s ‘hard-right populism’.
Mr Khan voiced concerns over the summer that a Trump victory would spark a surge in hate towards himself and his family.
He has urged Keir Starmer to take a more openly critical approach to his foe over issues such as women’s rights, saying Labour ‘shouldn’t pretend’ they were not supporting Kamala Harris.
In a statement released last week, Mr Khan said: ‘I know that many Londoners will be anxious about the outcome of the US Presidential election.
‘Many will be fearful about what it will mean for democracy and for women’s rights, or how the result impacts the situation in the Middle East or the fate of Ukraine. Others will be worried about the future of NATO or tackling the climate crisis.
Mr Khan previously said Labour ‘shouldn’t pretend’ they were not supporting Kamala Harris
‘London is – and will always be – for everyone. We will always be pro-women, pro-diversity, pro-climate and pro-human rights.
‘London is a place where we’re proud of our diversity, proud of the contribution of all our communities and proud of our spirit of unity. These are some of the values that will continue to bind us together as Londoners.’
‘The lesson of today is that progress is not inevitable.
‘But asserting our progressive values is more important than ever – re-committing to building a world where racism and hatred is rejected, the fundamental rights of women and girls are upheld, and where we continue to tackle the crisis of climate change head on.’
