Trump dodges Mandelson question as Starmer faces scrutiny over Epstein emails

WASHINGTON/LONDON — President Donald Trump declined to comment on Lord Mandelson’s removal as Britain’s ambassador, saying he did not know the Labour figure and had not seen emails tying him to Jeffrey Epstein. The disclosure surrounding Mandelson’s abrupt dismissal last week by Prime Minister Keir Starmer comes as leaders pressed to address previously disclosed communications in the Epstein case and the diplomatic implications for the transatlantic relationship.

During a joint press conference at the White House, Trump was asked whether he had any sympathy for Mandelson. "I don’t know him actually, I had heard that, and I think maybe the Prime Minister would be better speaking of that. It was a choice that he made and I don’t know," the president said. The two leaders also touched on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a project Mandelson has historically been credited with influencing, though the new dismissal has upended the usual diplomatic briefing around the issue.

Prime Minister Starmer sought to frame the matter as a personnel decision grounded in newly surfaced information. He told reporters that "it's very straightforward. Some information came to light last week which wasn't available when he was appointed, and I made a decision about it, and that's very clear." He also acknowledged that officials were reviewing emails between Mandelson and Epstein when he spoke at PMQs last week, but he stressed that he did not know the contents and said, in retrospect, it would have been better if the detailed allegations had been presented to him sooner.

The controversy has intensified questions about the timing and transparency of Mandelson’s appointment and dismissal, and it has placed Starmer’s government under domestic scrutiny as it pursues closer cooperation with Washington. Mandelson, a long-serving figure in Labour politics often described as a key architect of past transatlantic economic diplomacy, has faced scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein after Epstein’s conviction.

Trump’s remarks come as he faces renewed questions about his own historical ties to Epstein, though the joint appearance yielded no new disclosures on that front. Observers say the exchange underscored the delicate balance for both leaders as they navigate a shared agenda while contending with ongoing investigations and public questions about disclosure and accountability.

No formal policy announcements emerged from the event, but the session underscored the broader diplomatic dynamic between the United States and Britain amid domestic political pressures on both sides of the Atlantic.