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Trump: UK’s Starmer has ‘plenty of time to recover’ after ‘really bad’ ambassador pick

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by Tara Suter - 04/21/26 8:16 PM ET

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by Tara Suter - 04/21/26 8:16 PM ET

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President Trump went after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his former U.K. ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, who has faced scrutiny over files linked to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom acknowledged that he ‘exercised wrong judgment’ when he chose his Ambassador to Washington. I agree, he was a really bad pick. Plenty of time to recover, however!” Trump said in a late-night Truth Social post on Monday.

In the House of Commons on Monday, Starmer said he “should not have appointed” Mandelson, adding that he took “responsibility for that decision.”

“I apologize, again, to the victims of the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who were clearly failed by my decision,” the prime minister added.

Mandelson was arrested in February as he faced scrutiny over files linked to Epstein. He was fired from his role as ambassador last September as he dealt with pressure because of his alleged ties to the disgraced financier.

The former ambassador’s relationship with Epstein had also been documented in files released by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee last year, where he called the convicted sex offender his “best pal.”

Last Friday, Starmer said he was “furious” that he was unaware that Mandelson had failed his security vetting before becoming ambassador.

Trump has also faced scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein, and his administration has faced heavy pressure in the past year to release files related to the financier. The president indicated last week that he was open to the chance of public hearings in Congress with Epstein survivors.

“I’m OK with it,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “I think we’ve had a lot of public hearings. I’m OK with it, but I understand that the women didn’t want to go under oath. That’s what I heard that the women, the victims or whatever, they refused to go under oath, which was a little surprising.”

The Hill has reached out to Starmer’s office for comment.

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