Foreign Secretary David Lammy insisted he got on well with Donald Trump at a recent dinner despite his comments branding him ‘a woman hating, neo-Nazi, sympathising sociopath’
The Foreign Secretary has dismissed comments he made branding Donald Trump “deluded, dishonest, xenophobic, narcissistic” as “old news” – and he said the pair got on well at a recent dinner.
David Lammy said it would be a “struggle” to find any politician – including Tories – who hadn’t criticised the President-elect. In a podcast interview with BBC Newscast on Thursday night, he said Mr Trump was a “gracious” host when he and Keir Starmer had dinner in New York in September – with the Republican politician even offering him a “second portion of chicken” at the meal.
The dinner was said to have gone well, with Mr Trump reportedly telling Mr Starmer at end: “You and I are friends.” But Mr Lammy and Mr Trump were the ones said to have really hit it off, despite his negative comments about the Republican politician.
Mr Lammy said they “not even vaguely” spoke about his past comments, adding: “He was very generous, very gracious, very keen to make sure that we felt relaxed and comfortable in his surroundings. He was funny. He was warm about the UK. Very warm about the royal family.”
The Cabinet minister admitted he “felt in his bones” Mr Trump was going to win the US Presidential election after meeting him and seeing his “very well run” campaign. “I came away and I said to my team, this is a very well run campaign,” he said. “And what I don’t think I quite realised until I had that meeting was in a way because… he’d run a campaign first time that people described as chaotic, but won.
“He lost a second time and he felt pretty, the campaign team were chastened by that. They put everything into the organisation of this campaign. And so I, my gut had been telling me, but also my head had been telling me, that they were in a strong position.”
Mr Lammy added that he was a “little bit surprised” that the Democrats had made a decision not to focus on the economy in their election campaign. “We obviously had been really clear about growth for us,” he said about Labour’s successful campaign. “We knew that cost of living crisis, that’s where the public’s at.”
And he dismissed his past comments as “old news “, adding: “You will struggle to find any politician. And that’s not just Labour politicians, because the last Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, had some pretty ripe things to say about Donald Trump.”
When asked about his specific words that “Trump is not only a woman hating, neo-Nazi, sympathising sociopath, he is also a profound threat to the international order that has been the foundation of Western progress for so long”, Mr Lammy said: “[Mr Trump] didn’t seem to think it mattered a few weeks ago.”
US ELECTION WHATSAPP: Join our US Election WhatsApp group here to be first to get all the biggest news and results as America heads to the polls. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
POLITICS WHATSAPP: Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
NEWSLETTER: Or sign up here to the Mirror’s Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox.
PODCAST: And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by Mirror interim political editor Lizzy Buchan and Express political editor Sam Lister, every Thursday.
Pressed that Mr Trump could change his mind and dig up the old comments to use them against Mr Lammy, Mr Trump said: “The truth is, when you’re doing this job, you understand the extent and breadth of the US UK relationship. There are 11,000 troops, US troops in this country. There are tens of thousands of U.S. troops across Europe. We have the closest of intelligence capabilities, the best in the world on demonstration before the Ukraine war and working effectively to keep the skies safe over over Israel just a few weeks ago.
“So anyone who heads up America or indeed our country understands that. He understands that because he’s done the job of being president before. And in the end, he’s finding common ground, just as I’m finding common ground. You don’t get to be a senior politician in our country unless you can find common ground.”
