The White House barred British Ambassador to the U.S. Kim Darroch from dinner on Monday, fulfilling a threat made by President Trump earlier in the day.
Following unflattering comments he made about the president in diplomatic cables that leaked last weekend, Darroch was forbidden from attending the evening celebration hosted by Trump and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to honor the emir of Qatar, according to CBS White House correspondent Mark Knoller.
“WH official confirms that British Ambassador Sir Kim Darroch was uninvited from tonight’s dinner for the Amir of Qatar. Pres Trump made it clear the US will no longer deal with the Ambassador because of his blunt criticism of @POTUS in leaked messages home,” Knoller wrote.
WH official confirms that British Ambassador Sir Kim Darroch was uninvited from tonight’s dinner for the Amir of Qatar. Pres Trump made it clear the US will no longer deal with the Ambassador because of his blunt criticism of @POTUS in leaked messages home. pic.twitter.com/ri0cmFnd4z
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) July 9, 2019
The snub comes on the heels of Trump himself tweeting that the U.S. “will no longer deal with” Darroch after the ambassador said he is “inept,” “incompetent,” and “radiates insecurity.” He also struck at Prime Minister Theresa May’s fumble of the Brexit deal, which he characterized as “a mess.”
….thought of within the U.S. We will no longer deal with him. The good news for the wonderful United Kingdom is that they will soon have a new Prime Minister. While I thoroughly enjoyed the magnificent State Visit last month, it was the Queen who I was most impressed with!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 8, 2019
The U.K. said the leaks were “unfortunate” but maintained that its ambassador “[continued] to have the Prime Minister’s full support.”
The next prime minister of the United Kingdom will take over on July 24.
