"There will always be exceptions," the real estate billionaire and presumptive Republican nominee said on Monday when asked how his controversial proposal would apply to Sadiq Khan, the son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver and a seamstress, who was sworn in as London's mayor Saturday.
Trump said he was happy to see Khan elected, adding: "You lead by example, always lead by example. If he does a good job ... that would be a terrific thing."
Trump put forth the idea of the ban after deadly attacks by terrorists in Paris and California last year. Muslim and human rights groups, Trump's Democratic rivals and many of his Republican presidential opponents condemned the proposal as divisive, counterproductive and contrary to American values.
Khan, the Labor Party candidate, defeated his Conservative rival by a record margin to secure the biggest individual mandate in British political history after an acrimonious campaign.
Speaking of the Conservatives' tactics, Khan, 45, has said, "They 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 said he wanted to go to the United States to see the interesting programs the mayors of New York and Chicago were implementing, but that he would have to visit before January in case Trump won the Nov. 8 election, Reuters reported.
"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 said.