Mandelson praises 'consequential' Trump ahead of inauguration


Lord Peter Mandelson, the UK’s incoming ambassador to the US, has praised President-elect Donald Trump, calling his presidency “one of the most consequential” in modern times. In an article for Fox News, Lord Mandelson acknowledged Trump’s “straight talking” and “great skill as a political campaigner.” The comments contrast sharply with those made by Mandelson in 2019 when he referred to Trump as a “danger to the world” and “little short of a white nationalist.” Following those remarks, a Trump campaign advisor described Mandelson as “an absolute moron.”

Mandelson, a key figure in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, is set to take up his position in Washington DC in early 2025, replacing Dame Karen Pierce. In his article, he stressed that Britain’s “Atlantic alliance” must “adapt to new threats and technological challenges” in order to continue working with the US, whose allies must listen to the message sent by American voters. Trump’s “great skill… is to tap into sections of an electorate that feel unheard,” Mandelson wrote.

Although Trump will rightly prioritize the needs of Americans, he concluded, he will find “old partners open to new ways of dealing with the current world” among the US’s closest allies. Mandelson also criticized China and Iran, describing the former’s government as “more aggressive abroad and controlling at home” and the latter as a “thoroughly malign force” in the Middle East that must never become nuclear-armed.

Mandelson’s appointment comes at a time of change in US-UK relations, with the UK having left the European Union and seeking to establish a new trading relationship with its closest ally, which under Trump has focused on driving US exports

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