“My criticism of Trump was wrong,” says UK’s appointed ambassador to the US

Lord Peter Mandelson, the UK’s newly appointed ambassador to the United States, has described his previous criticisms of Donald Trump as “misjudged and wrong.”

Speaking in an interview with the American broadcaster Fox News, he said that the new American president had earned “new respect” from him, adding that he was “pretty sure” Trump would approve his appointment.

As part of the process, Lord Mandelson’s credentials must be presented to Trump, who is expected to accept them, according to the BBC.

In earlier years, Lord Mandelson had described Trump as “impetuous” and a “bully.”

In a 2019 interview with an Italian journalist, he called Trump “impetuous and a danger to the world.”

This followed a 2018 interview with the Evening Standard, where he referred to Trump as a “bully.”

However, he told Fox News: “I made those comments six years ago, in 2019, which were more driven by an Italian journalist… It was a time in Britain, by the way, with very tense politics and high emotions on many issues in Britain at that time.”

“I consider my comments about President Trump to have been ill-judged and wrong.”

“And I think that the time and attitudes towards the president have changed since then.”

Accepting Trump’s second “extraordinary” term, Lord Mandelson said Trump had gained “new respect” from him and mentioned that he hadn’t heard anything from the White House suggesting there would be any issues with his appointment.

“I think President Trump will look at my credentials and think about what’s best for our ongoing relationship,” he said.

“The president is a good man, a man with a sound mind, and that’s why I feel pretty confident that when, as I say, he looks at my credentials, he will think ‘well, I think this guy can work well for both our countries and our special relationship.'”

He added that Trump could be “one of the most significant presidents” in US history.