What ambassadors say about Trump
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Kim Darroch in 2017. Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty Images
The latest leak-gate has ended with an exit for U.K. ambassador to the U.S. Kim Darroch, who resigned Wednesday in the face of public attacks from President Trump.
Why it matters: "Until Mr. Darroch’s confidential cables appeared in the Daily Mail last weekend, none of the major ambassadors in Washington had been denounced by President Trump as 'wacky' and a 'very stupid guy,'" the NY Times' David Sanger notes.
- “'It could have been any of us,' one ambassador, who is still serving and therefore spoke on the condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday," per the Times.
What he's saying: "The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like," Darroch wrote in his resignation letter.
The big picture: Darroch's less than glowing leaked messages match what other ambassadors are sending home about the Trump administration, Sanger reports.
- Former French ambassador Gérard Araud: "I knew that nothing would remain secret, so I sent them in a most confidential manner.”
- More from Araud: "It’s what happens when a populist leader takes command in a liberal democracy. These people don’t recognize or accept the idea that an ambassador or a bureaucrat could be of any use. They only want to deal with other leaders.”
The bottom line: "There will be a new British ambassador. ... But under current conditions it is unclear whether that diplomat’s access will be much better."
- It’s not easy to be an ally in Trump’s Washington, Axios' Dave Lawler notes.
