Kicking off the first official visit of his international tour, Mitt Romney said he wouldn’t publicly discuss his foreign-policy positions during his week-long trip abroad. As a result, it was the former Massachusetts governor’s critical comments about the London Olympics that grabbed headlines.
The Republican presidential candidate spent today meeting with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and other top British political leaders, seeking to highlight his strong support for the longtime trans-Atlantic alliance and bolster his international credentials with American voters. Yet, Romney refused to detail his meetings or his positions on the diplomatic and military issues facing the two countries.
“I don’t want to refer to any comments made by leaders nor do I want to describe foreign-policy positions I might have on foreign soil,” he told reporters in a press conference outside 10 Downing Street.
While Romney attempted to make little news on the carefully choreographed trip, the British press had other ideas.
They seized on his comments yesterday in an NBC News interview, in which Romney said it wasn’t clear how well the London Olympic games would turn out.
[h=2]‘Disconcerting’[/h]“There are a few things that were disconcerting: the stories about the private security firm not having enough people, supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials, that obviously is not something which is encouraging,” he said.
When British reporters called Cameron’s attention to those comments, he replied: “We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere,” which was viewed as a reference to the 2002 Salt Lake City, Utah Winter Olympics organized by Romney.
Romney tried to end the exchange later when he told reporters that he was “very delighted with the prospects of a highly successful Olympic games.”
London, where the Olympic Games begin tomorrow, is the first leg of a three-country trip intended to show voters at home that the former Massachusetts governor, who has little diplomatic experience, could be a credible commander-in-chief.
He plans to see the opening ceremonies of the London games and attend a men’s swimming competition. Tonight, he’s holding a fundraiser at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park hotel with American bankers, some of whose firms are under investigation in connection with the Libor rate-fixing scandal.
[h=2]Meetings with Leaders[/h]Romney met with Cameron in the White Room at 10 Downing Street, a salon traditionally used to greet foreign leaders, which now overlooks the Olympic beach volleyball court.
The two leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East, the economic challenges facing both nations, the conflicts in Syria and Iran, and the forthcoming Olympic games.
Throughout the day, Romney stressed the “special relationship” between the two countries.
“I’ve got a number of conversations with leaders present and past of Great Britain and recognize, of course, the unique relationship that exists between our nations,” he said in a joint press appearance with Ed Miliband, the leader of the opposition Labour Party. He cited “our commitment to common values, our commitment to peace in the world and our desire to see a stronger and growing economy.”
In a morning meeting with former Prime Minister Tony Blair, Romney discussed the Middle East peace process, according to his campaign. Blair now serves as a special envoy to the Middle East.
He also met with Foreign Secretary William Hague, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.
[h=2]London Stopovers[/h]It’s common for American candidates to visit the U.K., an important U.S. ally, during their presidential campaigns. President Barack Obama stopped over shortly before formally accepting his party’s presidential nomination in 2008. Romney met with British officials during a July 2011 trip to London.
This time the former head of Bain Capital LLC arrives in the midst of a recession in Britain and a European debt crisis.
The U.K. economy shrank the most since 2009 in the second quarter and more than economists forecast, increasing pressure on Cameron to abandon Britain’s austerity program, the largest since World War II. Gross domestic product fell 0.7 percent from the first quarter, when it dropped 0.3 percent, the Office for National Statistics said in London yesterday.
Britain’s government has blamed the euro-area turmoil for pushing the country into the first double-dip recession since the 1970s.
[h=2]‘Anglo-Saxon’[/h]Romney’s trip got off to a rocky start. Yesterday, the Daily Telegraph newspaper quoted an unnamed adviser as saying Romney thought the U.S.-British relationship is special because of a shared “Anglo-Saxon” heritage that Obama doesn’t appreciate.
Romney distanced himself from the comment, saying he couldn’t identify the adviser and disagreed with the criticism.
“You have a lot of people that offer advice, so I’m not sure who this person is,” he told NBC.
Still, Vice President Joe Biden and top Obama campaign aides pounced on the report. “The comments reported this morning are a disturbing start to a trip designed to demonstrate Governor Romney’s readiness to represent the United States on the world’s stage,” Biden said in a statement.
Tonight, Romney plans to tap into his network of global business contacts at the two fundraisers organized by executives from banks and other financial institutions.
[h=2]Banker Donors[/h]Co-hosts for the events include Patrick Durkin, a Washington-based lobbyist for Barclays Plc (BARC); Eric Varvel, the chief executive officer of Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN)’s investment bank; Dwight Poler, a managing director at Bain Capital Europe; Raj Bhattacharyya, a managing director at Deutsche Bank AG; and Whitfield Hines, a managing director at HSBC Holdings Plc. (HSBA)
Donors who pay $2,500 are invited to a reception with Romney. For a contribution of at least $25,000, supporters can join the candidate for a private dinner.
The fundraising events were scheduled to be co-hosted by former Barclays CEO Robert Diamond, who resigned on July 3 amid political pressure the London-based bank faced after it admitted to rigging global interest rates. He dropped his fundraising role soon after.
Later this week, Romney will travel to Israel and Poland for meetings with local leaders, policy speeches and visits to historical sights.
To contact the reporter on this story: Lisa Lerer in London at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jeanne Cummings at [email protected]
The Republican presidential candidate spent today meeting with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and other top British political leaders, seeking to highlight his strong support for the longtime trans-Atlantic alliance and bolster his international credentials with American voters. Yet, Romney refused to detail his meetings or his positions on the diplomatic and military issues facing the two countries.
“I don’t want to refer to any comments made by leaders nor do I want to describe foreign-policy positions I might have on foreign soil,” he told reporters in a press conference outside 10 Downing Street.
While Romney attempted to make little news on the carefully choreographed trip, the British press had other ideas.
They seized on his comments yesterday in an NBC News interview, in which Romney said it wasn’t clear how well the London Olympic games would turn out.
[h=2]‘Disconcerting’[/h]“There are a few things that were disconcerting: the stories about the private security firm not having enough people, supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials, that obviously is not something which is encouraging,” he said.
When British reporters called Cameron’s attention to those comments, he replied: “We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere,” which was viewed as a reference to the 2002 Salt Lake City, Utah Winter Olympics organized by Romney.
Romney tried to end the exchange later when he told reporters that he was “very delighted with the prospects of a highly successful Olympic games.”
London, where the Olympic Games begin tomorrow, is the first leg of a three-country trip intended to show voters at home that the former Massachusetts governor, who has little diplomatic experience, could be a credible commander-in-chief.
He plans to see the opening ceremonies of the London games and attend a men’s swimming competition. Tonight, he’s holding a fundraiser at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park hotel with American bankers, some of whose firms are under investigation in connection with the Libor rate-fixing scandal.
[h=2]Meetings with Leaders[/h]Romney met with Cameron in the White Room at 10 Downing Street, a salon traditionally used to greet foreign leaders, which now overlooks the Olympic beach volleyball court.
The two leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East, the economic challenges facing both nations, the conflicts in Syria and Iran, and the forthcoming Olympic games.
Throughout the day, Romney stressed the “special relationship” between the two countries.
“I’ve got a number of conversations with leaders present and past of Great Britain and recognize, of course, the unique relationship that exists between our nations,” he said in a joint press appearance with Ed Miliband, the leader of the opposition Labour Party. He cited “our commitment to common values, our commitment to peace in the world and our desire to see a stronger and growing economy.”
In a morning meeting with former Prime Minister Tony Blair, Romney discussed the Middle East peace process, according to his campaign. Blair now serves as a special envoy to the Middle East.
He also met with Foreign Secretary William Hague, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.
[h=2]London Stopovers[/h]It’s common for American candidates to visit the U.K., an important U.S. ally, during their presidential campaigns. President Barack Obama stopped over shortly before formally accepting his party’s presidential nomination in 2008. Romney met with British officials during a July 2011 trip to London.
This time the former head of Bain Capital LLC arrives in the midst of a recession in Britain and a European debt crisis.
The U.K. economy shrank the most since 2009 in the second quarter and more than economists forecast, increasing pressure on Cameron to abandon Britain’s austerity program, the largest since World War II. Gross domestic product fell 0.7 percent from the first quarter, when it dropped 0.3 percent, the Office for National Statistics said in London yesterday.
Britain’s government has blamed the euro-area turmoil for pushing the country into the first double-dip recession since the 1970s.
[h=2]‘Anglo-Saxon’[/h]Romney’s trip got off to a rocky start. Yesterday, the Daily Telegraph newspaper quoted an unnamed adviser as saying Romney thought the U.S.-British relationship is special because of a shared “Anglo-Saxon” heritage that Obama doesn’t appreciate.
Romney distanced himself from the comment, saying he couldn’t identify the adviser and disagreed with the criticism.
“You have a lot of people that offer advice, so I’m not sure who this person is,” he told NBC.
Still, Vice President Joe Biden and top Obama campaign aides pounced on the report. “The comments reported this morning are a disturbing start to a trip designed to demonstrate Governor Romney’s readiness to represent the United States on the world’s stage,” Biden said in a statement.
Tonight, Romney plans to tap into his network of global business contacts at the two fundraisers organized by executives from banks and other financial institutions.
[h=2]Banker Donors[/h]Co-hosts for the events include Patrick Durkin, a Washington-based lobbyist for Barclays Plc (BARC); Eric Varvel, the chief executive officer of Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN)’s investment bank; Dwight Poler, a managing director at Bain Capital Europe; Raj Bhattacharyya, a managing director at Deutsche Bank AG; and Whitfield Hines, a managing director at HSBC Holdings Plc. (HSBA)
Donors who pay $2,500 are invited to a reception with Romney. For a contribution of at least $25,000, supporters can join the candidate for a private dinner.
The fundraising events were scheduled to be co-hosted by former Barclays CEO Robert Diamond, who resigned on July 3 amid political pressure the London-based bank faced after it admitted to rigging global interest rates. He dropped his fundraising role soon after.
Later this week, Romney will travel to Israel and Poland for meetings with local leaders, policy speeches and visits to historical sights.
To contact the reporter on this story: Lisa Lerer in London at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jeanne Cummings at [email protected]