Jane Onyanga-Omara

USA TODAY

LONDON — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said London’s new mayor Sadiq Khan could be an “exception” to his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, the New York Times reports. Khan rejected Trump's offer.

Khan, a Muslim, was elected to run the British capital last week, the first person of his faith to undertake the role.

On Monday, Trump said he was “happy to see” that Khan was voted in, according to the New York Times.

When asked about how his proposed ban would affect Khan, 45, Trump said: “There will always be exceptions,” the Times reported.

“I think if he does a great job, it will really — you lead by example, always lead by example. If he does a good job and frankly if he does a great job, that would be a terrific thing,” Trump was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Khan rejected Trump's offer Tuesday.

"Donald Trump's ignorant view of Islam could make both our countries less safe — it risks alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays into the hands of the extremists," Khan said in a statement.

He added: "This isn't just about me — it's about my friends, my family and everyone who comes from a background similar to mine, anywhere in the world. Donald Trump and those around him think that western liberal values are incompatible with mainstream Islam — London has proved him wrong."

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Trump called for the ban in December after Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, a married couple, killed 14 people in a mass shooting in in San Bernardino, Calif. The Islamic State said the two were its followers.

In an interview with Time, Khan said he would like to go to the United States to meet 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,” he said. He said he planned to visit the United States before January in case Trump wins the presidential race.

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Conservative Party candidate Zac Goldsmith, Khan’s closest rival for the mayoral role, and Prime Minister David Cameron tried to link Khan with extremists during Goldsmith's campaign, which Khan likened to Trump’s tactics.

"They (the Conservatives) used fear and innuendo to try to turn different ethnic and religious groups against each other — something straight out of the Donald Trump playbook," Khan told the Observer.

Khan on Tuesday stepped down as a member of Britain’s Parliament for Tooting, the south London neighborhood where he was born, in order to be mayor full-time.

Sadiq Khan officially declares victory as London's first Muslim mayor