U.K. Ambassador to the U.S. Lord Peter Mandelson has backtracked on disparaging remarks he made about President Donald Trump years ago.
Back in 2019, he said that Trump was “a danger to the world,” according to Fox News. Six years later, he’s singing an entirely different tune.
“I consider my remarks about President Trump as ill-judged and wrong,” he told Fox News. “I think that times and attitudes toward the president have changed.”
“I think that he has won fresh respect. He certainly has from me, and that is going to be the basis of all the work I do as His Majesty’s ambassador in the United States,” Mandelson added.
PETER MANDELSON NAMED UK’S AMBASSADOR TO UNITED STATES
— CGTN America (@cgtnamerica) December 20, 2024
His newfound feelings of respect come despite unconfirmed reports that his appointment may be blocked by the White House.
Mandelson has for his part dismissed these reports.
“I’ve heard nothing from the president or the White House or anyone working for him that suggests that there’s going to be any difficulty about my appointment,” he told Fox News.
Why then the drama? Partly because close Trump ally Elon Musk of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been feuding publicly with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Prison for Starmer https://t.co/6RxIyGnYkG
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 6, 2025
America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 6, 2025
The president and Starmer nevertheless reportedly engaged in a friendly phone call over the weekend.
“He’s liberal, which is a bit different from me, but I think he’s a very good person and I think he’s done a very good job thus far,” Trump told the media after their call. “He’s represented his country in terms of philosophy. I may not agree with his philosophy, but I have a very good relationship with him.”
Mandelson had some thoughts about the phone call.
“They’re not Siamese twins, President Trump and Prime Minister Starmer, but they’re both pragmatic people,” he said. “They know where each is coming from, they want to find common ground. I feel very optimistic. I feel very upbeat about the relationship that they’re both going to have.”
Maybe, but Starmer is a real authoritarian, far-left a-hole with a history of standing up for criminals and other assorted bad guys:
You have to understand Starmer is a zealot with an inverted sense of morality.
He punishes normal people and worships criminals. He literally kneeled for the BLM rioters, and was proud of getting depraved murderers off the death penalty.
He is anarcho-tyranny in human form. pic.twitter.com/HDprAqNKzy
— Nick Dixon (@nickdixoncomic) August 3, 2024
As for Mandelson’s own relationship with Trump, his status as the first non-career diplomat to take up the job of chief U.K.-U.S. liaison has him convinced the two will get along just fine.
“The president isn’t a career diplomat, and I’m not a career diplomat,” he said. “I came into politics to change things for the better for people, and so did he. We share a similar, if not identical, outlook on the world and motivation in politics. But I think above all, we believe in something which is really special between our countries.”
Continuing his remarks to Fox News, Mandelson pledged that his chief priorities at his new post will be to work with the Trump administration on trade, technological developments, and defense partnerships.
“I think that the United States and Britain, working together, can outsmart and keep ahead of the curve as far as China is concerned,” he said. “[Trump] wants a dialogue with China, he wants to do deals with China. But he’s also not going to be naïve about China.”
“We face a challenge together from China, and we’ve got to make sure that we are able to deter that challenge or that threat when they’re having aggressive intents toward us. Security in the Euro-Atlantic area depends on making sure that China is kept at bay in its own region. China has the right to prosper, to generate higher standards of living for its own people, but not at the expense of others,” he added.
Mandelson concluded his remarks by praising Trump’s foreign policy strategy.
“There are so many threats and challenges the world is facing at the moment,” he said. “It takes courage, somebody, sometimes, who’s prepared to be argumentative and, indeed, disruptive, not just take business as usual.”
“Frankly, I think President Trump could become one of the most consequential American presidents I have known in my adult life,” he added.
- Medicaid divides House, snares up Trump’s budget bill - February 19, 2025
- Top 7 moments of Trump and Musk’s candid Hannity interview - February 19, 2025
- Juan Williams leans into race baiting core with latest Hill piece: ‘Trump’s idea of competence — only white men need apply’ - February 18, 2025
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.