LONDON: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had personally requested that London Mayor Sadiq Khan be excluded from the state banquet held by King Charles at Windsor Castle during his second state visit to the United Kingdom.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his return flight to Washington, Trump branded Khan as “one of the worst mayors in the world”, accusing him of failing on crime and immigration.

“I asked that he not be there. He wanted to be there, as I understand. I didn’t want him,” the president said.

The mayor did not attend the banquet and was not expecting an invitation, according to British media.

A source close to Sadiq Khan dismissed Mr Trump’s remarks, saying his “politics is one of fear and division”. He claimed London remains “a global success story” that attracts record numbers of Americans.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2025