The incoming British ambassador to the United States is already running into difficulty.
Lord Peter Mandelson, who has served in senior roles in multiple Labour governments, was appointed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to replace the current Ambassador Karen Pierce when Trump takes office.
Back in 2019, Mandelson described then-President Trump as “little short of a white nationalist and racist.”
“What Donald Trump represents and believes is anathema to mainstream British opinion, and the idea that as a result of Brexit we have to kowtow to an American president who holds those views will outrage people in Britain,” he explained at the time.
“Even those who have a sneaking admiration for Donald Trump, because of the strength of his personality, nonetheless regard him as reckless and a danger to the world.”
Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Chris LaCivita, criticized the decision to replace a “universally respected” ambassador with an “absoulute moron.”
“This UK [government] is special replace a professional universally respected Ambo with an absolute moron – he should stay home ! SAD!” LaCivita wrote on the X platform.
This UK govt is special replace a professional universally respected Ambo with an absolute moron – he should stay home ! SAD! Mandelson described Trump as a danger to the world and ‘little short of a white nationalist’ https://t.co/EpegH7FbMw
— Chris LaCivita (@ChrisLaCivita) December 20, 2024
Mandelson is far from the only British politician to have talked about Donald Trump in less than flattering terms.
David Lammy, who currently serves as U.K. Foreign Secretary (the British equivalent of Secretary of State), once branded Trump a “neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath”, a “racist KKK and Nazi sympathiser,” and a “tyrant in a toupee”.
However, Lammy has since congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory and pledged to work with him constructively to maintain the special relationship.
It is also not the first time that Britain has been involved in diplomatic spats with the Trump administration.
In 2019, leaked diplomatic cables showed Britain’s former U.S. Ambassador, Kim Darroch, describing Trump as “inept” and “insecure.”
“We don’t really believe this administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction-riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept,” Darroch was quoted as saying.
Darroch later resigned from the position, stating that the “current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like”
