Donald Trump has suggested Sadiq Khan could be exempted from his proposed ban on Muslims entering the US if the Republican frontrunner became president.
"There will always be exceptions," billionaire property mogul Mr Trump said when asked whether he would enforce the ban on London's first Muslim mayor.
Despite drawing criticism for his anti-Muslim rhetoric - including proposing to ban people of the faith from entering the US - Mr Trump said he welcomed Mr Khan's election win.
He told the New York Times: “I was happy to see that… 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.
“You lead by example, always lead by example. If he does a good job… that would be a terrific thing.”
His remarks came as Mr Khan, the son of a Pakistani immigrant, suggested he would visit the US before the country’s new President takes office in January in case Mr Trump won November's election and he was no longer welcome.
Sadiq Khan's first official day as London Mayor
Mr Trump suggested banning Muslims from the US after 15 people were killed in Islamist terror attacks in San Bernardino, California, in December.
The call sparked outcry, with Prime Minister David Cameron branding Mr Trump’s views “divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong”.
Mr Khan has expressed interest in meeting his counterparts from cities including New York and Chicago to "swap ideas" as he takes the helm at City Hall.
He told Time Magazine: “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.”
Mr Khan also took a fresh swipe at the tactics deployed by his Tory rival Zac Goldsmith during the mayoral campaign, adding: “Conservative tacticians thought those sort of tactics would win London and they were wrong. I’m confident that Donald Trump’s approach to politics won’t win in America.”
