Mandelson seeks to distance himself from past ‘childish’ comments about Trump

Incoming British ambassador to the US Lord Peter Mandelson has said his past comments astir Donald Trump were “childish”.

The Labour grandee called Mr Trump a “danger to the world” and “little abbreviated of a achromatic nationalist and racist” respective years ago.

Now poised to instrumentality implicit from Dame Karen Pierce arsenic the UK’s apical diplomat successful Washington, Lord Mandelson told the New York Times helium regretted his prime of words successful past comments astir the US president.

The words I utilized astir the president were childish and wrong

Lord Peter Mandelson

“In 2019, I was a spot irate,” Lord Mandelson said successful an interview.

“But nonetheless, the words I utilized astir the president were childish and wrong.”

But helium said helium stood by his “intellectual argument” connected tariffs, which helium outlined successful an op-ed portion successful 2018 arguing against Mr Trump’s commercialized argumentation and calling him a “bully and a mercantilist”.

Lord Mandelson has sought to play down past comments astir Mr Trump since Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer appointed him successful December.

He praised Mr Trump arsenic a “nice person” and a “fair-minded person” who could go “one of the astir consequential American presidents I person known successful my big life” successful an interrogation with Fox News past week.

The Government is attempting to physique bridges with the Trump medication and exempt British goods from the planetary tariffs the caller president has threatened to impose.