Ed Miliband’s rudest digs about Donald Trump ahead of US charm offensive | Politics | News
Ed Miliband will attempt a charm offensive with the Trump administration on Wednesday despite previous blistering attacks on the US president.
The Foreign Secretary previously branded Donald Trump โa racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper”.
But in a change of tune, Mr Miliband insisted he was “committed to nurturing our strong, enduring and essential alliance with the USโ ahead of talks in Washington DC.
The former energy secretary will meet his counterpart, Marco Rubio, to discuss Ukraine, Gaza and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
On Mr Milibandโs past remarks, an ally close to the president previously said: โTrump doesnโt forget. He will not forget. Miliband has some serious diplomatic repair to undertake.โ
These are five of Mr Milibandโs rudest digs at Mr Trump.
In a 2016 essay, Mr Miliband said: โWe must do our best at home and abroad to resist the worst of Trumpism… These are dark days for America and the world.โ
A year later, in 2017, in a post on X, Mr Miliband said: โI know Trump has lowered the bar for idiocy, butโฆโ
In 2018, in GQ magazine, Mr Miliband said: โWhat is objectionable about him? His racism. His misogyny. His peculiar relationship with Russia and most of all with the truth.โ
In 2018, Mr Miliband joined a Stop Trump protest against the presidentโs state visit and said he would boycott a state dinner.
Mr Miliband was invited to the US capital by Mr Rubio after their recent first meeting on the sidelines of a foreign ministersโ summit in the Philippines, where the senior Labour politician made his international stage debut in his new role.
The dynamic between the two men will be closely watched, given Mr Miliband’s fierce criticism of Mr Trump in the past.
The White House was also reported to be concerned about Prime Minister Andy Burnhamโs decision to hand Mr Miliband the Foreign Office brief.
In his previous role as energy secretary, Mr Miliband was a strong champion of net zero and renewables, while Mr Trump is a vocal supporter of fossil fuels, including opening up North Sea oil, and an avowed opponent of โwindmillsโ.
