Mandelson slammed as ‘moron’ by Trump adviser after being named US ambassador

The appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson, Britain’s ambassador to Washington, was criticized on Friday by one of Donald Trump’s top campaign strategists, who told the veteran British politician to “stay home”.

Chris LaCivita, a Republican political strategist who managed Trump’s successful presidential campaign this year, cited Mandelson’s previous criticism of Trump as “a danger to the world” and “little short of white nationalist.”

“This UK government is special,” he wrote in X. “Replacing the professional universally respected Amboy with an absolute moron. He should stay at home. Sad.’

The post came moments after British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed he had chosen Mandelson to replace Ms Karen Pearce, known as the ‘Trump whisperer’, to liaise with the future president.

Mandelson’s appointment ends weeks of indecision by Starmer over whether to send the British political heavyweight to engage with the incoming administration and try to contain the threat of US tariffs.

Some in Britain’s Foreign Office had urged the prime minister to stick with Pearce, but Starmer’s allies said the prime minister ultimately felt the case was too overwhelming to send a big hitter to Washington, especially given Mandelson’s track record in trade matters.

“It wasn’t a slam dunk,” said someone close to the process. “The prime minister took his time. There were some in the system who wanted Karen to continue. That was another option.”

Mandelson, a minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, is a skilled media and political operator who started out as the Labor Party’s communications chief in the 1980s, when he became known as the “Prince of Darkness”.

“He’s a big name,” said another official close to the election. “He can do Fox News and the other channels. He’s in a league of his own.”

But his extensive media record is also a risk. In a 2019 interview, he called Trump a “white nationalist and a racist” and claimed that even those who have a “secret admiration” for the incoming president consider him “reckless and a danger to the world.” “.

Mandelson, a former EU trade commissioner, has also been appointed for his trade expertise, directly tasked by Starmer to fend off threats to target Britain as part of Trump’s proposed 10-20 percent tariffs on global imports.

“There is no reason why Britain should be an immediate target,” said one person close to Starmer.

Previous talks on a more ambitious free trade agreement between the two countries have collapsed over food standards; The UK bans chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-treated beef.

Earlier in the year, Starmer briefly considered rival candidates, notably former Labor foreign secretary David Miliband and former EU foreign policy chief Lady Katy Ashton, but they were quickly rejected.

“It’s been ‘Peter or not Peter’ for a long time,” said one Downing Street insider. “I’ve never heard any other name mentioned in the ‘or not’ category in recent months. I really don’t know why it took so long.”

Mandelson is close to Starmer, but not in his inner circle.The ambassador-at-large was less than diplomatic earlier this year when he suggested Starmer “shed a few pounds”.

The 71-year-old has also been the subject of controversy over the years, as he was forced to resign twice from the Blair government and his past relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein came to light last year.

Last month, Mandelson suggested that Starmer use UK reform leader Nigel Farage as a “bridge” to build a relationship with Trump and Elon Musk.—Did Peter really say that? asked one of Starmer’s aides at the time.

His seven-year stint as chairman of the UK China Centre, a non-departmental foreign affairs body, made him a target of Conservative China hawks and hardly unnoticed by Trump’s team.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said: He noted that Mandelson was the only Labor member to vote against legislation targeting the Chinese “genocide” in Xinjiang.

After the vote, Mandelson told colleagues that having a “common definition of genocide in foreign policy-making” could be too broad and difficult to enforce, leaving the government’s hands tied.

Those close to Starmer said the prime minister wanted to wait until Jonathan Powell, the national security adviser, and Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney met with Trump’s team earlier this month before making a final decision.

During this hiatus, some State Department officials pushed for Pierce, who took over in Washington in 2020, to stay on for at least a year.

But it was only seen as a stop-gap solution. “She couldn’t go on forever,” says one diplomat.

While Starmer delayed, a formidable coalition of supporters formed behind Mandelson, including David Lammy, the foreign secretary, Powell and McSweeney.

“Keir likes to take his time with these decisions,” admitted one government official. “He did the same with the selection of the new cabinet secretary and the national security adviser.

Starmer acknowledged that having a big name and a political operator would help open doors with the Trump team. “They will like the fact that Peter has a reputation for ruthlessness,” said one Foreign Office insider.

Mandelson’s belief that Britain can “have its cake and eat it” by promoting good trade relations with Washington, Brussels and Beijing at the same time echoes Starmer’s own view, which he set out in a foreign policy speech at the Guildhall earlier this month.

Starmer said Friday. “Peter will bring unparalleled experience to the role and take our partnership to the next level [with the US] from strength to strength.” Lammy said it was “great to welcome Peter back to the team”.

Mandelson, co-founder of the “Global Counsel” consulting group, said: “It’s a great honor to serve the country in this way.” He told friends that he would put his business interests on hold during the new job.

Lord Kim Darroch, the United Kingdom’s ambassador to Washington during Trump’s first presidency, said most diplomats would accept the case for the Edwin Lutyens-designed ambassador’s residence at 3100 Massachusetts Ave.

He told the FT: “These are particularly tumultuous and fragile times. It’s not just about Trump 2, it’s about Ukraine, it’s about NATO. It’s good to have someone who can literally pick up the phone with the prime minister.”

It was a good end to the year for Mandelson after his disappointment last month when he was beaten by Lord William Hague. Chancellery Oxford University.

He was in hospital on Monday undergoing surgery for a lower aortic aneurysm, which friends said was “completely successful”. His new position in Washington is expected to begin in early 2025.