{"id":232108,"date":"2025-02-05T05:18:06","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T05:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/05\/a-veteran-u-k-political-battler-takes-on-trumps-washington\/"},"modified":"2025-02-05T05:18:07","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T05:18:07","slug":"a-veteran-u-k-political-battler-takes-on-trumps-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/05\/a-veteran-u-k-political-battler-takes-on-trumps-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"A Veteran U.K. Political Battler Takes on Trump\u2019s Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/02\/05\/multimedia\/05uk-ambassador-1-qzpg\/05uk-ambassador-1-qzpg-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"A Veteran U.K. Political Battler Takes on Trump\u2019s Washington\" title=\"A Veteran U.K. Political Battler Takes on Trump\u2019s Washington\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It was a hectic Monday morning for Peter Mandelson, who was packing up his home before heading to Buckingham Palace for an audience with King Charles III, on the eve of becoming Britain\u2019s ambassador to the United States.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But the stress of leaving London may not compare to what awaits Mr. Mandelson when he lands in Washington on Wednesday. Few British diplomats have taken on a job as fraught with political risk as Mr. Mandelson\u2019s. His first day at the embassy will coincide with President Trump\u2019s 18th day in the Oval Office \u2014 and already, some of America\u2019s sturdiest alliances are teetering.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As he packed boxes, Mr. Mandelson was keeping an eye on Mr. Trump\u2019s latest exchanges with Canada and Mexico, after he had imposed \u2014 <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/03\/business\/canada-mexico-tariffs-trump.html\" title=\"\">then paused<\/a> \u2014 sweeping tariffs. The European Union looked to be next in his cross hairs. Mr. Trump was gentler about Britain, suggesting to reporters that a deal \u201ccould be worked out,\u201d though he claimed its trade balance with the United States was \u201cway out of line.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI\u2019m not going to tell the president his business when it comes to trade,\u201d Mr. Mandelson said in an interview, striking a scrupulously diplomatic tone. But he insisted, \u201cWe have a balanced trade relationship with the U.S. It\u2019s balanced in goods; it\u2019s balanced in services.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For Mr. Mandelson, the trick will be to keep Britain out of Mr. Trump\u2019s line of fire \u2014 and to do it at a time when Prime Minister Keir Starmer\u2019s left-of-center government is trying to reset its relationship with the E.U., to which Mr. Trump has long been hostile.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Mandelson has already been denounced by a faction of Trump loyalists, who failed to scuttle his nomination but may have played into his decision to apologize on Fox News last week for deriding Mr. Trump during his first term as a \u201cwhite nationalist\u201d and a \u201cdanger to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Mandelson knows the ins and outs of trade flows: He served as the European Union\u2019s trade commissioner from 2004 to 2008, and then headed Britain\u2019s Board of Trade until 2010. He said he hoped his experience would help him make a persuasive case on behalf of Britain, which runs either an $89 billion trade surplus or a $14.5 billion deficit with the United States, depending on whether one cites British or American statistics. (The difference rests in part on how the two sides treat offshore financial centers like Jersey and Guernsey, which are crown dependencies.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIf I can use that knowledge to advance some mutual understanding, I will do so,\u201d he said. Still, he was quick to add, \u201cI\u2019m not going to be front-of-house in making arguments against the president\u2019s policies. My job is to act behind the scenes to explain our countries\u2019 policies to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Such a low profile makes sense in Mr. Trump\u2019s Washington, given the president\u2019s history of clashing with big personalities. But it is out of character for Mr. Mandelson. In a four-decade political career, he thrust himself repeatedly into the spotlight. As a young strategist for the Labour Party, he was known for his ruthless tactics, earning the nickname the Prince of Darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Since then, Mr. Mandelson, 71, has <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2008\/10\/04\/world\/europe\/04britain.html?searchResultPosition=1\" title=\"\">fallen in and out of favor<\/a> with successive Labour leaders, from Tony Blair, for whom he was once a trusted adviser, to Mr. Starmer, to whom he became close before his election victory last July.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Starmer\u2019s decision to appoint Mr. Mandelson to a post as sensitive as ambassador to the United States surprised some in London, given the prime minister\u2019s reputation for caution and Mr. Mandelson\u2019s reputation for swagger and sharp elbows.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A few of those elbows were thrown at Mr. Trump. In addition to his comments in a 2019 interview with an Italian journalist, Mr. Mandelson wrote a column in 2018 for a London paper, The Evening Standard, in which he took Mr. Trump to task for imposing tariffs on China. The president, he wrote, was a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.standard.co.uk\/comment\/comment\/donald-trump-s-hostility-towards-china-is-putting-free-trade-at-risk-peter-mandelson-a3782796.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cbully and a mercantilist.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Mandelson said, \u201cI completely stand by the intellectual argument\u201d about the negative effect of tariffs. But he said he regretted his choice of words about Mr. Trump. He chalked it up to the inflamed atmosphere in Britain, which was then negotiating its exit from the European Union.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIn 2019, I was a bit irate,\u201d he said. \u201cBut nonetheless, the words I used about the president were childish and wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Mandelson is also under pressure because he is replacing Karen Pierce, a popular envoy known for having built bridges to people in Mr. Trump\u2019s orbit. When his appointment was announced in December, Chris LaCivita, a Republican strategist who comanaged Mr. Trump\u2019s campaign, posted, \u201creplace a professional universally respected Ambo with an absolute moron \u2014 he should stay home!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Among his other critics were Stephen K. Bannon, Mr. Trump\u2019s former chief strategist, and Raheem Kassam, the British-born former editor of Breitbart News in London. Mr. Bannon said he had objected to Mr. Mandelson\u2019s business dealings in China, while Mr. Kassam said he was \u201cTony Blair\u2019s most effective operator,\u201d which he did not mean as a compliment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWhether it\u2019s a rejection of his credentials, or bringing him to heel, it\u2019s a victory,\u201d Mr. Kassam said of the campaign against him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Still, Mr. Mandelson drew no public opposition from other powerful Trump allies, like the technology billionaire Elon Musk, or hawkish Republicans like Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He would hardly be the first person who once denigrated Trump to win forgiveness.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Mandelson emphasized his ties to Silicon Valley, which he visited as a minister in 1998 to draw up a white paper on Britain\u2019s competitiveness. He said his experience in China, which deepened during years of running a consulting firm, Global Counsel, would help him nurture joint British and American competition with China.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cOur chief goal must be to win the advanced technology race,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can only win that race together, not divided.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Mandelson\u2019s defenders say his heavyweight credentials and cosmopolitan manner could appeal to Mr. Trump, who may recognize in him a fellow player. While they do not know each other, they have moved in similar social circles. Mr. Mandelson sits in the House of Lords, the kind of sinecure that Mr. Trump might also appreciate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cLondon will be hoping that assigning a political figure of Mandelson\u2019s stature and intellect will be seen as a compliment, and his experience of trade policy in Brussels not an impediment but an asset,\u201d said Peter Westmacott, who was ambassador during the Obama administration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Kim Darroch, who served as ambassador during Mr. Trump\u2019s first term, said, \u201cI suspect he\u2019s taken this job because he\u2019s addicted to the political game, and this is a way back on to the field. He\u2019s relentlessly engaged in it, relentlessly curious about it, and exceptionally good at it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Darroch, however, offers a lesson in the perils of diplomacy during a Trump presidency. He was forced to resign in 2019 after a London paper published <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/07\/world\/europe\/uk-ambassador-kim-darroch.html\" title=\"\">confidential cables<\/a> in which he offered an unfiltered, unflattering take on the president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Mandelson will try to avoid those traps, in part by playing to Mr. Trump as a deal maker. He rejected suggestions that Britain needed to choose between the United States and Europe. Britain, he said, was merely trying to \u201ctidy up\u201d a flawed trade deal negotiated by Mr. Starmer\u2019s Conservative predecessors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWhat we want with the E.U. is complementary to the U.S.,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe got a bad deal with the E.U.,\u201d he added. \u201cThe president understands what a bad deal looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/05\/world\/europe\/mandelson-trump-uk-ambassador.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It was a hectic Monday morning for Peter Mandelson, who was packing up his home before heading to Buckingham Palace for an audience with King Charles III, on the eve of becoming Britain\u2019s ambassador to the United States. But the stress of leaving London may not compare to what awaits Mr. Mandelson when he lands [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/02\/05\/multimedia\/05uk-ambassador-1-qzpg\/05uk-ambassador-1-qzpg-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[164765,181426,163575,2534,14314,84420,164053,3959,164920,67810,86565,6039,24583,234,164052,170339,3960,1074,52,1734,503,1021,128437,24104,5179],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232108"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232108"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":232110,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232108\/revisions\/232110"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}