Trump Says UK’s Epstein-Linked Ambassador Was ‘Really Bad Pick’

A key Foreign Office official has told a parliamentary committee he had been told those vetting Peter Mandelson had been ‘leaning against’ approving him.

President Donald Trump (C) and Vice President JD Vance, (L) with Peter Mandelson (R), the then British ambassador to the United States, address reporters in the Oval Office at the White House on May 8, 2025. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his original decision in 2024 to choose Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, a post he was fired from in September 2025 after correspondence came to light revealing the extent of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In September, after details, including leaked emails, emerged of the long-running friendship between Mandelson and Epstein, the UK Foreign Office issued a statement saying, “The emails show that the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment.”