The incoming U.K. ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, recanted previous statements criticizing President Trump on Wednesday.
He previously stated Trump was a “danger to the world” in 2019 but said he no longer supports the sentiment.
“I consider my remarks about President Trump as ill-judged and wrong,” Mandelson told Fox News in an exclusive interview.
“I think that times and attitudes toward the president have changed,” he continued.
The envoy said he is looking to build on the “special relationship” between the U.S. and U.K., noting the president has won “fresh respect” from him personally as outlined in a Fox News op-ed praising the leader earlier this month.
“The president isn’t a career diplomat, and I’m not a career diplomat. I came into politics to change things for the better for people, and so did he,” Mandelson told Fox.
“We share a similar, if not identical, outlook on the world and motivation in politics. But I think above all, we believe in something which is really special between our countries,” he added.
The ambassador highlighted intentions to bolster a partnership between both nations to tackle defense, trade and technology measures across the globe, specifically mentioning the growing tensions between China and the West.
“We face a challenge together from China, and we’ve got to make sure that we are able to deter that challenge or that threat when they’re having aggressive intents toward us,” Mandelson stated.
He said they would strongly oppose any of the China’s efforts to overtake regions in the Indo-Pacific.
“Security in the Euro-Atlantic area depends on making sure that China is kept at bay in its own region,” he said. “China has the right to prosper, to generate higher standards of living for its own people, but not at the expense of others.”
Despite a back-and-forth with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Elon Musk, Trump’s appointee to head the “Department of Government Efficiency,” Mandelson said he remains “optimistic” and “upbeat” about the relationship with Starmer and the president.
Although the president’s approach to foreign conflict and negotiation has been considered aggressive, the U.K.’s incoming ambassador said that’s the attitude required for broad change.
“There are so many threats and challenges the world is facing at the moment. It takes courage, somebody, sometimes, who’s prepared to be argumentative and, indeed, disruptive, not just take business as usual,” he said. “Frankly, I think President Trump could become one of the most consequential American presidents I have known in my adult life.”
The U.K. Embassy did not immediately respond to The Hill’s requests for comment on Mandelson’s statements.