Mayor of London hits out at Donald Trump with brutal comment after president called him 'horrible' and 'disgusting'

The mayor of London Sadiq Khan has criticized Donald Trump for being 'jealous' after the president of the United States called him ‘horrible’ and ‘disgusting’.

In an interview with POLITICO which touched on the topic of immigration in Europe, Donald Trump gave his opinion about various cities, including European capitals Paris and London. Regarding the UK, he said: “If you take a look at London, you have a mayor named Khan. He’s a horrible mayor. He’s an incompetent mayor, but he’s a horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor. I think he’s done a terrible job. London’s a different place.”

He added: “And… and I hate to see that happen. This is one of the great places in the world, and they’re allowing people just to come in and… unchecked, unvetted.”

Sadiq Khan revealed how he feels about Trump's comments (Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images)

Following the release of new crime data on Monday (January 12), Sadiq Khan gave an interview on BBC 4’s Today programme in which he remarked the support he feels from Londoners and the UK government amid the ongoing ‘tit for tat’ with Donald Trump.

The data showed that 97 homicides were recorded in London in 2025, down from 153 in 2019.

Today’s presenter Emma Barnett told the London mayor: “You have been described by President Trump as a horrible mayor, incompetent, vicious, disgusting, a disaster. You’ve called him a bully. I wonder, do you think you’ve been sufficiently defended by Downing Street and [UK prime minister] Sir Keir Starmer?”

Khan replied: I sometimes feel like I’m nine years old again with this tit for tat stuff with President Trump. I’ve got the full support of not just the government but, more importantly, Londoners.”

When asked if he believes he has been defended by Starmer, Khan added: “I’ve had the full support of the prime minister, the foreign secretary and from the government and from Londoners.

“What today shows is why we are the greatest city in the world and why President Trump is a bit jealous.”

Trump criticized the Mayor of London in an interview (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Khan has been defended against Trump's comments in the past, with a No.10 spokesperson hitting back at Trump's initial remarks at the time, saying: “Those comments are wrong.”

They also praised Khan for doing an ‘excellent job’ delivering free school meals in primary schools, improving London’s air, and building a ‘record number’ of council houses.

The spokesperson for Starmer added: “The prime minister is proud of the mayor of London’s record and proud to call him a colleague and friend.”