Private comments by British ambassador to the US published by the Mail on Sunday

This is what Kim Darroch, the British ambassador to the US, is reported to have said in private about Donald Trump.

On Trump’s ‘dysfunctional’ administration

“As seen from here, we really don’t believe that this administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional, less unpredictable, less faction-riven, less diplomatically clumsy and inept” – Summer 2017

Comment: Or, to put it another way, the ambassador has read the papers. What Sir Kim Darroch said is not particularly contentious – at least outside Trump circles – but, in the best traditions of the Foreign Office, he states his case with an elegant turn of phrase.

On Trump radiating ‘insecurity’

“For a man who has risen to the highest office on the planet, President Trump radiates insecurity … There is no filter [that prevents Trump making offensive comments] … We could also be at the beginning of a downward spiral, rather than just a rollercoaster; something could emerge that leads to disgrace and downfall” – Summer 2017

Comment: “Radiates insecurity” is another zinger, which appears to reflect personal knowledge of the president. In an interview with the Financial Times last year, Darroch gave a slightly different assessment. “I have met [Trump] seven or eight times and always found him to be absolutely charming,” he said.

On Trump’s state visit to UK

“The president knew from the outset that it amounted to genuinely special treatment … Although initially worried about getting the protocol right, he became more relaxed as it progressed; and by the end, he could not have been happier or more fulsome in his assessment” – 17 June 2019

Comment: In this memo, Darroch says inviting Trump to the UK for a state visit was a “gamble”. But he says from Washington’s perspective it was a great success, earning the UK embassy precious extra goodwill from Trump staffers for whom this was “the hottest ticket of their careers”.

On a Trump rally

“As is standard at these rallies, the language was incendiary, and a mix of fact and fiction – hard to reconcile with [vice-president Mike] Pence’s remarks about governing for all Americans … All that said, there is still a credible path for Trump – but so much rides on who the Democrats choose in July 2020” – 20 June 2019

Comment: Diplomats tend to enjoy trying their hand at reportage, and Darroch’s description of the Orlando rally – “the atmosphere was unique – somewhere between a major sporting event (where only the home team fans are in the crowd) and a mega-church” – would bring credit to any decent foreign correspondent.

On Trump aborting an airstrike against Iran at last minute

“[Trump’s] claim, however, that he changed his mind because of 150 predicted casualties doesn’t stand up; he would certainly have heard this figure in his initial briefing. It’s more likely that he was never fully on board and that he was worried about how this apparent reversal of his 2016 campaign promises would look come 2020 [at the next election]” – 22 June 2019

Comment: This is one of the most interesting memos because it is particularly recent. Darroch says the embassy was in the dark on the night of the aborted airstrike for a while because even its “best contacts” were unwilling to answer calls. He warns that a further Iranian attack, involving the loss of American life, could trigger a U-turn from Trump.