British diplomats were driven insane trying to find very specific gift for Trump
President Donald Trump, perhaps the United States’s most prominent Anglophile, had a very special gift on his wish list from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
TL;DR
- President Donald Trump desired a custom red dispatch box with 'President of the United States' inscribed on it.
- British diplomats, including Ambassador Peter Mandelson, found the acquisition process extremely challenging and frustrating.
- The task involved direct communication with a manufacturer approved by the Crown for ministerial boxes.
- Mandelson compared the struggle to a plotline from the British political comedy 'The Thick of It'.
- The box was reportedly put into production with a presidential seal, but its final delivery is uncertain.
- Mandelson was later dismissed following revelations about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
- Newly released documents also showed Mandelson's critical views on 10 Downing Street under Keir Starmer and suggested the British government adopt a more 'Trumpian' approach to political risks.