logo
Donald Trump is ‘not a force for good' London Mayor says

Donald Trump is ‘not a force for good' London Mayor says

Rhyl Journal17 hours ago
Sir Sadiq dismissed jibes that President Trump made against him on a recent visit to Scotland, where he claimed the London Mayor was 'a nasty person' who has 'done a terrible job'.
The Labour politician said remarks such as those were 'water off a duck's back'.
However, he told an event at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe it sometimes felt like he was 'nine years old again' and 'in the school playground'.
But Sir Sadiq, speaking at the Political Party show with comedian Matt Forde, hit back at the US President, saying: 'Somebody who has views like he does about black people, about women, about gays, about Muslims, about Mexicans, thinks I'm nasty.
'Really. He is the leader of the free world, arguably the most powerful man in the world, and really.'
He spoke out as he said that records showed since the middle of January this year – when Mr Trump began his second term in the White House – and July 'there have never been more Americans applying to British citizenship and living in London'.
The Mayor said: 'So I think Americans have got good taste by and large.'
He added that he hoped the President would come to London during his state visit to the UK next month, with Sir Sadiq stressing the 'diversity' of the capital was a 'strength, not a weakness'.
Speaking about this diversity, he insisted: 'I think it makes us stronger not weaker, richer not poorer.
'And when President Trump says some of the things he does, it brings from the periphery to the mainstream, views that are potentially dangerous.
'He inadvertently – I'm not going to suggest he does it deliberately – he inadvertently could be radicalising people with views that could lead to them doing things that are dangerous.'
He spoke out about fears that minorities 'could be treated less favourably because of the views of the President of the USA' as he accused Mr Trump of 'using London and our diversity as a political football, as a proxy for a culture war'.
The London Mayor continued: 'On a personal level, it is water off a duck's back, but we can't run away from the fact that there are some really serious challenges we face as a western society and President Trump, in my view, I speak generally, isn't a force for good.'
However he insisted that he would be 'more than happy to meet President Trump' saying he would seek to show him that it is 'possible to be proud to be a westerner and a proud to be Muslim, that it is possible to be British, and proud to be British, and be of Pakistani origin and be a law abiding citizen and we aren't three headed monsters'.
The Labour politician said: 'I suspect President Trump may have formed a view of Muslims because of the actions of a small minority of really bad people who are terrorists and use Islam in a perverted way.
'What I would want President Trump to know is that is a very small fraction of Muslims across the globe.
'So if there was an opportunity to meet President Trump, I would be more than happy to do so.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Starmer says allies must ‘get this right' ahead of crunch Ukraine talks
Starmer says allies must ‘get this right' ahead of crunch Ukraine talks

Powys County Times

time4 minutes ago

  • Powys County Times

Starmer says allies must ‘get this right' ahead of crunch Ukraine talks

Sir Keir Starmer has said allies must 'make sure' there is 'fair' and 'just' peace in Ukraine as he arrived in Washington to support Volodymyr Zelensky in crunch talks with Donald Trump. The Prime Minister has arrived at the White House where he and other European leaders will seek to persuade the US president not to push for a settlement which rewards Vladimir Putin's aggression. They will also try to secure US security guarantees for any military peacekeeping force from the so-called 'coalition of the willing'. The meeting will come after Donald Trump suggested the Ukrainian president would have to accept there was 'no getting back' Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, and that Ukraine would not be allowed to join the Nato alliance. I'm on my way to Washington D.C. to meet @POTUS, @ZelenskyyUa and other leaders. Here's why: — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) August 18, 2025 In a video posted on X, Sir Keir said of the conflict: 'Everybody wants it to end, not least the Ukrainians. 'But we've got to get this right. We've got to make sure there is peace, that it is is lasting peace and that it is fair and that it is just. 'That's why I'm travelling to Washington with other European leaders to discuss this face to face with President Trump and President Zelensky, because it's in everyone's interests, it's in the UK's interests that we get this right.' The Prime Minister will be joined by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italy's leader Giorgia Meloni and Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland. Nato chief Mark Rutte and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are also attending. In a message on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said President Zelensky 'can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight'. He said there would be 'no going into Nato by Ukraine' – keeping its neighbour out of the alliance and its mutual defence pact has been one of Russia's key aims. But Sir Keir, along with other Nato leaders, has said Ukraine is on an 'irreversible path' to membership of the security alliance. 'Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine's pathway to the EU or Nato,' the Prime Minister's official spokesman said on Monday. Asked if Mr Trump could have a veto, the spokesman repeated that 'our position on Ukraine and Nato hasn't changed' and that Ukraine is on 'irreversible path' to membership. He said No 10 is working 'hand in glove' with Mr Trump on Ukraine, when asked if Sir Keir was confident the US leader would not try to veto membership. The security guarantees the US has signalled it is willing to provide will be an 'important aspect of the discussions' at the White House today, he said. Mr Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff has suggested that measures similar to Nato's Article 5 mutual defence provision could be offered by the US without Kyiv joining the alliance. This was a demonstrative and cynical Russian strike. They are aware that a meeting is taking place today in Washington that will address the end of the war. We will have a discussion with President Trump about key issues. Along with Ukraine, the leaders of the United Kingdom,… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 18, 2025 Mr Witkoff, who took part in the talks between Mr Trump and Russian president Mr Putin last week, said it 'was the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that' and called it 'game-changing'. 'We were able to win the following concession: That the United States could offer Article 5-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in Nato,' Mr Witkoff told CNN. Mr Zelensky said any peace deal must be lasting 'not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our East – part of Donbas – and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack'. He said: 'Russia must end this war, which it itself started. And I hope that our joint strength with America, with our European friends, will force Russia into a real peace.' Mr Trump has appeared to drop his calls for a ceasefire after a summit in Alaska with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin has long refused to agree to a ceasefire as a precondition for talks to end the war, prompting fears that Russia could continue gaining ground in Ukraine as negotiations take place. No 10 appeared to suggest that Sir Keir could back a peace deal without a ceasefire. 'We want to see an end to the killing. If you can bring about an end to the killing and bring about a sustained peace in one go, then all the better,' his spokesman said. But Ukraine must determine whether it wants to cede land to secure a deal, he said, stressing that 'international borders must not be changed by force'. At the White House, Mr Zelensky is expecting to face calls from the US president to concede to full Russian control of Donetsk and Luhansk, two mineral-rich regions of Ukraine that are mostly occupied by Vladimir Putin's forces. Our main goal is a reliable and lasting peace for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe. And it is important that the momentum of all our meetings lead to precisely this result. We understand that we shouldn't expect Putin to voluntarily abandon aggression and new attempts at… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 18, 2025 In exchange for these demands, the Russian president would reportedly withdraw his forces from other areas of Ukraine and accept the Nato-like guarantee designed to prevent him launching further incursions. Ahead of their Washington encounter, the allies are likely to be mindful of the previous occasion Mr Zelensky visited Mr Trump in the White House. February's public spat, which saw US vice-president JD Vance accuse Mr Zelensky of not being thankful enough to the US, resulted in American aid to Ukraine being temporarily halted. Mr Trump will again host Mr Zelensky in the Oval Office before a separate meeting with the European leaders in the White House's East Room. Russia continued to carry out 'demonstrative and cynical' strikes ahead of the meeting, the Ukrainian leader said. Mr Zelensky posted a video on X showing him embracing Sir Keir and several other European leaders, and wrote that he had spent time with them on Monday in the US, where they 'coordinated' their positions. 'We understand that we shouldn't expect Putin to voluntarily abandon aggression and new attempts at conquest,' Mr Zelensky said. 'That is why pressure must work, and it must be joint pressure – from the United States and Europe, and from everyone in the world who respects the right to life and the international order. 'We must stop the killings, and I thank our partners who are working toward this and ultimately toward a reliable and dignified peace.'

Trump could send US troops to Ukraine to enforce potential peace deal
Trump could send US troops to Ukraine to enforce potential peace deal

The Independent

time4 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Trump could send US troops to Ukraine to enforce potential peace deal

President Donald Trump refused to rule out the deployment of American soldiers to enforce a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump stated he would discuss the US commitment to a future settlement with European leaders at the White House. Trump indicated that Europe would be the 'first line of defence' for Ukraine's security, albeit with some American assistance. He seemed to dismiss the prospect of Ukraine's future NATO membership, despite acknowledging no formal discussions had taken place. The meeting occurred after Trump's recent summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where a 'peace deal' potentially involving Ukrainian territorial concessions was reportedly discussed.

Donald Trump's floats idea of using a war to cancel US election and cling on to power
Donald Trump's floats idea of using a war to cancel US election and cling on to power

Daily Mirror

time5 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Donald Trump's floats idea of using a war to cancel US election and cling on to power

Trump's eyes lit up at the idea of cancelling the 2028 election in order to cling on to power - after Volodymyr Zelensky explained why he postponed Ukraine's last election Donald Trump indicated he's attracted to the idea of using a war to cancel the next election, allowing him to stay in power. ‌ He made the comments in the Oval Office alongside Volodymyr Zelensky, who cancelled an election in Ukraine because his country is at war with Russia. ‌ Trump has repeatedly made remarks about serving for a third term, which would be unlawful under the US Constitution. ‌ And he was impeached over his bid to cling on to the White House after losing the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden by millions of votes. He made, and continues to make false and unfounded claims that the election was "rigged" or "corrupt." These statements, combined with a string of authoritarian policies, have led many to feel uneasy about whether he plans to leave the Oval Office voluntarily once his term is up. Today, as Zelensky answered a question about the difficulty of holding an election during Ukraine's war with Russia, Trump openly mused about how a similar circumstance could allow him to stay in power in the US past the expiration of his current term. "So let me just say three and a half years from now -- so you mean, if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections, oh, I wonder what the fake news would say," Trump said. ‌ Zelenskyy noted the difficulties of being able to hold elections during wartime, saying that a "truce" would be needed to do so safely. Trump later went on a lengthy and meandering rant, claiming - without evidence - that postal votes are not widely used internationally, and are vulnerable to corruption. In reality, the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Canada, India and many other nations use postal voting regularly without issue. ‌ But Trump has long made the claim that mail-in ballots are corrupt - and it was a key complaint in his false claim that the 2020 election had been stolen. He claimed in a TV interview on Friday evening that Vladimir Putin had told him he agreed with him on postal voting. Russian elections are widely understood to be increasingly fraudulent and corrupt under Putin. ‌ Get Donald Trump updates straight to your WhatsApp! As the world attempts to keep up with Trump's antics, the Mirror has launched its very own US Politics WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest news from across the pond. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. "You can never have a real democracy with mail in ballots. "We as a Republican Party are gonna do everything possible we can to get rid of mail in ballots. "We're gonna start with an executive order to end mail in ballots ... we're gonna end mail in voting"

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store