Trump claims London wants Sharia law in UN speech, slams Khan as 'terrible mayor'

NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump used his speech to the United Nations General Assembly to claim that London wants to adopt Sharia law and to renew his attacks on Sir Sadiq Khan, London's mayor, calling him a "terrible mayor." In remarks broadcast from New York, Trump contended that Western countries face an assault on their borders and culture, arguing that Europe, and London in particular, has been changed by immigration and policy choices he called detrimental.

Trump told the U.N. audience that "Europe is in serious trouble. They have been invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody's ever seen before." He added: "I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor, and it's been changed. Now they want to go to Sharia law. But you are in a different country, you can't do that." He argued that immigration policies and what he described as a lack of energy in addressing the issue would be the death of Western Europe if something isn't done immediately. He asserted that the situation cannot be sustained.

Sharia law, which governs aspects of some Muslims' personal and religious life, is not legally binding in England; Sharia councils operate in parts of the country but have no official jurisdiction over criminal or civil law. Trump included the claim amid broader assertions about Western decline, including his accusation that Western leaders are failing to defend borders against a migrant influx.

.png

[Image]

The remarks come amid a long-running dispute with Khan, London's first Muslim mayor, who has repeatedly criticized Trump’s rhetoric and policies. The two men have sparred since at least 2015, when Khan condemned Trump’s proposal to bar Muslims from traveling to the United States. The feud intensified after the London Bridge attack, and in 2018 Khan’s office approved an inflatable depiction of Trump as a baby that flew in Parliament Square during the U.S. president’s visit to Britain. Trump has repeatedly singled Khan out in comments about crime and governance in London.

In remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One on the return from a state visit to Britain, Trump said Khan was among the "worst mayors in the world" and suggested Chicago also faced serious crime, implying Khan’s record was worse. He said he did not want Khan at events tied to the state visit, and Khan later said he did not seek or expect an invitation, calling himself indifferent to Trump’s assertions and stressing he had more important issues to address.

Khan has generally avoided engaging directly with Trump on policy, focusing on domestic concerns in London such as crime and housing. A spokesman or representative for the mayor has said Khan does not tailor his schedules to foreign leaders and would not be swayed by personal attacks from a visiting head of state.

The exchange highlights enduring strains in transatlantic dialogue over immigration, security, and urban governance. Supporters of Khan have argued that Trump’s rhetoric inflames divisions and distracts from local issues, while Trump supporters frame Khan as emblematic of broader concerns about immigration and multicultural policy in Western cities.

While Trump’s UNGA remarks drew attention to his ongoing disputes with Khan, they also fit into a larger pattern of the former president casting Western Europe as being in crisis under liberal governance and uncontrolled migration. Critics, however, say such claims oversimplify complex urban dynamics and risk normalizing xenophobia in political discourse. The London mayoral office and multiple European officials have pressed for measured, evidence-based policy responses rather than rhetoric that frames cities as under siege.

As the UN General Assembly proceedings continued, analysts noted that while calls for tougher borders and immigration policies have found resonance with some voters, they simultaneously complicate relationships with European allies and partners across the Atlantic. The episode underscores how personal feuds between U.S. and U.K. political figures can spill into international forums, shaping perceptions of leadership at a time when Western democracies face a range of security and migration challenges.