Donald Trump never forgets a grudge, and Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has been one of his favorite targets for years. Every time Trump lands a punchline about a “stone cold loser,” the phrase echoes across headlines, sticking to Khan like glue. But beyond the insult itself lies a deeper question: does anyone still care about this long-running feud, or has the drama between a former U.S. president and London’s mayor turned into tired background noise?
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Their rivalry began when Trump’s travel ban sparked outrage in the U.K. Khan, London’s first Muslim mayor, called it divisive and dangerous. Trump fired back with a tweetstorm, branding Khan weak on terrorism and ineffective as a leader. From there, the fight snowballed. Whenever Trump visited Britain, he would use Khan as a punching bag, describing him as incompetent and unworthy of his office. Khan, for his part, never shied away from returning fire, portraying Trump as a threat to democracy and a bully unfit for the global stage.
What makes this clash so fascinating is how it reflects two very different visions of leadership. Trump thrives on confrontation, nicknames, and dominance. Khan thrives on portraying himself as the underdog standing up to power. Each needs the other as a foil: Trump gets to frame Khan as the weak liberal elite, while Khan rallies his base by standing up to a world figure who embodies everything he opposes.
But in 2025, the dynamic feels different. Trump is once again central to American politics, shaping global debates with his signature style. Khan, meanwhile, struggles with a London weary of rising crime, soaring housing costs, and bitter divisions over immigration. Critics say he spends too much time trading insults with Trump and not enough fixing problems at home. Supporters argue he’s right to call out a man who, in their eyes, represents dangerous populism.
The truth is, Trump doesn’t waste words on people who don’t get under his skin. Every time he hammers Khan with that cutting phrase “stone cold loser,” it lands because it’s short, brutal, and easy for his supporters to repeat. For Khan, the risk is that the insult overshadows everything else—his policies, his achievements, his role as London’s mayor. When history looks back, will he be remembered as the man who stood up to Trump, or the man forever defined by Trump’s ridicule?
What’s certain is this: the feud is far from over. Trump knows the value of a recurring villain, and Khan knows the value of playing defiant. The King of political showmanship and the Mayor of London are locked in a strange dance, one that keeps the cameras rolling. But for Londoners facing daily struggles, one question lingers louder than all the noise—does this fight even matter anymore?