Ed Miliband is in Washington DC for talks with the Trump administration, despite his previous blistering attacks on President Donald Trump. The Foreign Secretary had once called Trump "a racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper".
Now, ahead of his meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Miliband has struck a conciliatory tone, saying he is "committed to nurturing our strong, enduring and essential alliance with the US".
Diplomatic Repair Needed
A source close to the president previously warned: "Trump doesn’t forget. He will not forget. Miliband has some serious diplomatic repair to undertake."
Miliband will discuss Ukraine, Gaza, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz with Rubio. This comes after their first meeting on the sidelines of a foreign ministers' summit in the Philippines.
Five Past Insults
- In 2016, on Radio 4, Miliband said: "The idea that we share values with a racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper beggars belief ... I am deeply worried."
- In a 2016 essay, he wrote: "We must do our best at home and abroad to resist the worst of Trumpism... These are dark days for America and the world."
- In 2017, in a post on X, he said: "I know Trump has lowered the bar for idiocy, but…"
- In 2018, in GQ magazine, he said: "What is objectionable about him? His racism. His misogyny. His peculiar relationship with Russia and most of all with the truth."
- In 2018, he joined a Stop Trump protest against the state visit and said he would boycott a state dinner.
Background Tensions
The White House has reportedly been concerned about Prime Minister Andy Burnham's decision to give Miliband the Foreign Office brief. As energy secretary, Miliband championed net zero and renewables, while Trump supports fossil fuels and opposes "windmills".
