Donald Trump furious at Miliband’s appointment as foreign secretary
Ed Miliband's appointment as UK foreign secretary under new prime minister Andy Burnham has provoked anger in the Trump administration, with sources close to the White House warning that Donald Trump has not forgotten years of scathing remarks the former Labour leader has made about him. Allies say Miliband, who previously called Trump "a racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper" and accused him of "lowering the bar for idiocy", now faces "serious diplomatic repair" to restore relations, at a sensitive moment for UK-US ties.
The two men have clashed publicly for over a decade, including over net zero policy, North Sea oil and gas drilling, and Trump's approach to democracy and Russia, with one White House-linked consultant saying the appointment is "going down like a lead balloon". Further US anger stems from Miliband's time as Labour leader, when he withdrew support for bombing Syria in 2013, a move Boris Johnson claimed emboldened Vladimir Putin's 2014 invasion of Crimea. Despite the friction, Miliband is reportedly planning to refocus the Foreign Office on climate goals and restore aid spending to 0.7% of GDP, which was cut under Sir Keir Starmer.
In short
- Trump administration reportedly furious over Ed Miliband's foreign secretary appointment
- Miliband previously called Trump "racist, misogynistic" and criticised his politics
- Boris Johnson blames Miliband's 2013 Syria stance for emboldening Putin
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The appointment risks substantial damage to UK-US relations at a critical moment when security cooperation, intelligence sharing, and trade negotiations are essential. Miliband's years of publicly calling Trump a 'racist' and criticising his fitness for office create a serious personal diplomatic obstacle that could undermine British national interests if the US administration responds by cooling cooperation on vital issues.
The case against
A government should appoint its finest people to office based on merit and experience, not by deferring to the preferences of foreign leaders regarding domestic appointments. Allowing past political criticism to disqualify someone from ministerial office would set a troubling precedent for external interference in British governance and would mean foreign leaders effectively have veto power over British democratic choices.
Explained simply
Ed Miliband has been appointed foreign secretary in the United Kingdom under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The foreign secretary is the government minister responsible for managing the UK's international relations and diplomacy with other countries, making it one of the most senior positions in government.
Miliband and Donald Trump have had a contentious public relationship for more than a decade, disagreeing repeatedly over issues including climate policy, energy drilling, and international conflicts. They have made conflicting public statements regarding these matters and their approaches to global affairs.
The appointment matters because the UK and America maintain a particularly close diplomatic relationship, and tensions between their senior officials can affect that partnership. Miliband's new role will require him to work with the Trump administration on shared international interests, potentially complicated by their history of disagreement.
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