Donald Trump did not challenge Lord Cameron over why he had called him “xenophobic, misogynistic and stupid” when the two met a week ago, the Foreign Secretary said on Monday.
The ex-Prime Minister and former US President discussed Ukraine, amid concerns in the West that if Trump makes a White House comeback he could cut support for Kyiv, Nato spending commitments, as well as the conflict in the Middle East.
Lord Cameron was reticent to reveal more details of the meeting over dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, given that it was private.
Asked on Sky News what was it like meeting Trump after some of the “undiplomatic” things he had said about him, he responded: “I’m a diplomat.
“I’m glad that I had the meeting.
“It’s very much in line with the work that Foreign Secretaries and Prime Ministers do, we meet leaders of the Opposition in other countries, we meet potential future presidents.
“I remember meeting Mitt Romney when I was Prime Minister.”
As Prime Minister in 2016, David Cameron described Trump, who was running to be president for the first time, as “divisive, stupid and wrong”.
After he left No10 following the Brexit referendum result, he later wrote in his memoirs that Trump was “protectionist, xenophobic, misogynistic”.
Asked by presenter Kay Burley if the ex-president had raised these descriptions of him, the Foreign Secretary said: “I’m not going to comment on the meeting.”
But pressed on this issue, he added: “No he didn’t actually.”
Questioned whether he had changed his view of Trump, Lord Cameron said: “Politicians we all know there is a track record of things that we have said about each other.
But ultimately, Britain and America are important partners.
“We don’t know who will be president after November, it’s not for us to get involved, it’s for the Americans to choose their president.
“We then work with them.”
The Foreign Secretary met Trump last Monday on a trip to the US where he also held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Tuesday.
Trump previously sparked fierce criticism from Western officials for suggesting he would not protect countries that fail to meet Nato spending targets of two per cent of GDP, and would even encourage Russia to attack them.
Lord Cameron was hoping to meet House Speaker Mike Johnson, as Britain urges Republicans to stop blocking a huge new aid package for Kyiv, but this did not happen.
The Foreign Secretary has urged Republicans not to show “the weakness” that was “displayed against Hitler” in the 1930s.
