Friday, September 18, 2020

Former UK ambassador to the US speaks about Trump

Former UK ambassador to the US Kim Darroch has been interviewed in recent days on a number of TV stations, including BBC's Newsnight.


Darroch gave an interview yesterday evening on CNN's Amanpour programme.  Seldom has a former British diplomat spoke so openly and candidly.


It made for great television.


The interviews are in connection with his just published book Collateral Damage: Britain, America, and Europe in the Age of Trump.


Darroch while ambassador in Washington descrtibed,  in leaked confidential diplomatic cables to London, that Donald Trump's White House was "inept" and "deeply dysfunctional" — and added that the president "radiated insecurity".


An international scandal ensued. Darroch did not have the back of Boris Johnson, who was campaigning to be UK prime minister at the time.


When his frank assessment became public in the summer of 2019, he became persona non grata in Trump's Washington, overnight.


Darroch, who had held the ambassadorship from 2016 resigned after President Trump said he would "no longer deal with him."


Darroch writes about the experience — and many others during his three-plus years in Washington in his book.


In an interview with a US TV station he said: "I wouldn't hide the fact that those were the four worst days of my career. And, you know, they're a distant memory now because we are 15 months on from that. But it was a pretty searing and difficult time."

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