Donald Trump on Monday said that he could exempt London’s new mayor from his proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States if he is elected president.
“There will always be exceptions,” Trump told the Times when asked if London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is Muslim, would be allowed into the country under Trump’s proposed ban.
“I was happy to see that,” Trump told the Times about Khan’s election. “I think it’s a very good thing, and I hope he does a very good job because frankly that would be very, very good.”
“Because I think if he does a great job, it will really — you lead by example, always lead by example,” Trump said when asked why he supported Khan’s election. “If he does a good job and frankly if he does a great job, that would be a terrific thing.”
Khan had criticized Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims coming into the U.S. in a Sunday interview with Time Magazine.
“I want to go to America to meet with and engage with American mayors. If Donald Trump becomes the President, I’ll be stopped from going there by virtue of my faith, which means I can’t engage with American mayors and swap ideas,” Khan told Time. “Conservative tacticians thought those sorts of tactics would win London and they were wrong. I’m confident that Donald Trump’s approach to politics won’t win in America.”
