London [UK], September 19 :
US President Donald Trump reignited his feud with London Mayor Sadiq Khan during his state visit to the United Kingdom, unleashing another round of sharp criticism in their long-running clash.
Addressing reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday, Trump disclosed that he had personally asked that Khan not be invited to the state banquet hosted in his honour.
The US President described the London Mayor as "among the worst mayors in the world," accusing him of failures on crime and immigration.
When questioned on Khan's absence from the banquet, Trump said: "I didn't want him there, I asked for him not to be there, I don't want that." He added, "Sadiq Khan the mayor of London wasn't welcomed, and he did not attend."
"It was requested that he not attend," Trump further remarked, claiming Khan had shown interest in being present at the event.
Continuing his attack, Trump said, "Crime in London is through the roof. Mayor Khan has done a terrible job, and on immigration he's a disaster."
These remarks came shortly before Trump wrapped up his UK state visit on Thursday (local time). While departing London with First Lady Melania Trump, the President was forced to switch to a support helicopter due to a "minor hydraulic issue," CNN reported, citing the White House.
The helicopter carrying Trump and Melania developed the issue and was forced to land at a local airfield, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced. The incident prompted the US President and the First Lady to switch to a support helicopter, causing a delay in their arrival at Stansted Airport in the United Kingdom, CNN reported.
"Due to a minor hydraulic issue, and out of an abundance of caution, the pilots landed at a local airfield before reaching Stansted airport. The president and first lady safely boarded the support helicopter," Leavitt said in a statement to the press pool, which is travelling with the president.
After the helicopter incident, Trump concluded his UK visit on Thursday with a joint press conference alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. At the briefing, Trump spoke about his personal rapport with India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underlining their close ties and his recent birthday greetings to the Indian leader.
Trump said, "I'm very close to India. I'm very close to the Prime Minister of India. Spoke to him the other day, wished him a happy birthday. We have a very good relationship. He put out a beautiful statement, too...But I said, I sanctioned them."
Alongside his remarks on India, Trump also addressed international issues, including the Russia-Ukraine war. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin "let me down" by not stopping the conflict.
"He has let me down. I mean, he's killing many people and he's losing more people than he's, you know, than he's killing. I mean, frankly, Russian soldiers are being killed at a higher rate than the Ukrainian soldiers," Trump said. Trump admitted that although he had thought the Russia-Ukraine war would be the "easiest" to resolve, that was not the case. He insisted the war would never have broken out if he had remained in office.
"This was a thing that would have never happened had I been president. If I were president, it would have never happened. And it didn't happen for four years," Trump asserted. "Most people agree it didn't happen, nor was it close to happening."
Source: ANI
