--- title: "Ed Miliband meets Marco Rubio in Washington amid past Trump criticism" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/ed-miliband-meets-marco-rubio-in-washington-amid-past-trump-criticism" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/ed-miliband-meets-marco-rubio-in-washington-amid-past-trump-criticism" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/ed-miliband-meets-marco-rubio-in-washington-amid-past-trump-criticism.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/ed-miliband-meets-marco-rubio-in-washington-amid-past-trump-criticism" category: "Politics" area: "United Kingdom" published: "2026-08-06T01:46:19.836Z" source_reported: "2026-08-05T23:33:41.000Z" updated: "2026-08-06T01:46:19.836Z" trust_score: 74 critic_score: 58 hype_score: 32 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-06T04:15:37.743636+00:00" --- # Ed Miliband meets Marco Rubio in Washington amid past Trump criticism *The UK Foreign Secretary discussed the Strait of Hormuz, Ukraine and Gaza but avoided questions about his 2016 remarks* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 74 of 100, higher is better. Multiple outlets corroborate meeting. - Craft 58 of 100, higher is better. Lacks direct quotes from both sides. - Hype 32 of 100, lower is better. Some sensational headlines. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Ed Miliband met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on 5 August 2026 to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, Ukraine and Gaza. - Milband avoided questions about his 2016 description of Donald Trump as 'racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper'. - The White House reportedly had concerns about Miliband’s appointment as Foreign Secretary, according to multiple outlets. - Milband will also meet World Bank President Ajay Banga to discuss climate change and global resilience. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on 5 August 2026. The meeting followed their first encounter at a foreign ministers’ summit in the Philippines in July 2026. Miliband and Rubio discussed efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the war in Ukraine, and the situation in Gaza, according to statements from both sides. Reporters asked Miliband about his past criticism of Donald Trump, including a 2016 remark in which he called the then-presidential candidate 'a racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper'. Miliband did not respond to the questions. The Herald Scotland reported that he smiled and said, 'We are looking forward to our meeting,' before entering the US State Department. The White House had reportedly expressed concerns about Miliband’s appointment as Foreign Secretary, as reported by the Gazette-News, The National, burytimes.co.uk, theboltonnews.co.uk and The Independent. Miliband’s previous role as Energy Secretary included strong advocacy for net-zero policies, which conflict with Trump’s support for fossil fuels. Washington’s ambassador to the UK, Warren Stephens, had previously said Miliband was 'wrong' to call Trump a racist and expressed hope that his views had changed. After the meeting, Miliband issued a statement calling the UK and US 'the closest of allies' and emphasising their shared commitment to NATO. He highlighted the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz for British families and businesses, as well as the need to support Ukraine and address the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Rubio posted on X that they had discussed Europe taking a greater role in its own security and preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Miliband will also meet World Bank President Ajay Banga during his visit to discuss development, climate change and global resilience, as reported by The Herald Scotland. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mentioned the topics discussed in the meeting, including the Strait of Hormuz, Ukraine or Gaza. None of the centre-rated digests quoted Miliband’s past remarks on Trump in full, though iNews referenced them. The left-rated digests from The Independent (US) and The National did not mention Miliband’s meeting with World Bank President Ajay Banga. ## Who covered it Shares of the 15 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 33% (5) - Centre: 47% (7) - Right: 20% (3) 3 of 18 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-06T04:15:37.743636+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 10 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-06T04:30:33.360Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated reports led on Miliband’s avoidance of questions about his past criticism of Donald Trump. The Herald Scotland, the only left-rated outlet with a full report, quoted Miliband’s 2016 remarks in full and described him as 'ducking' shouted inquiries from reporters. It also noted the White House’s reported concerns about his appointment and the contrast between his net-zero advocacy and Trump’s fossil-fuel policies. - The Independent (US) and The National carried digests that mentioned Miliband’s statement calling the UK and US 'the closest of allies' but did not quote his past remarks on Trump. The Independent (US) led with Miliband’s avoidance of the questions, while The National’s digest repeated the White House concerns. ### Centre - The centre-rated digests focused on the topics discussed in the meeting. The Hill, Gazette-News, burytimes.co.uk, theboltonnews.co.uk, WTVB and the Evening Standard all mentioned the Strait of Hormuz, Ukraine and Gaza as key subjects. WTVB and the Evening Standard also noted Rubio’s call for Europe to take a greater role in its own security. - Five of the seven centre-rated digests, Gazette-News, The National, burytimes.co.uk, theboltonnews.co.uk and The Independent, mentioned the White House’s reported concerns about Miliband’s appointment. iNews led with the potential consequences of Miliband’s past remarks, framing them as a shadow over his visit. ### Right - The right-rated digests led on Miliband’s past criticism of Trump. GB News framed the meeting as Miliband ‘escaping’ a ‘dressing-down’ from Rubio over his remarks, while the Daily Express described him as bracing for a 'frosty' meeting after calling Trump 'a racist, misogynistic self-confessed groper'. Neither digest mentioned the topics discussed in the meeting. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 3 - high: 10 - unknown: 3 - veryHigh: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [The Sunday Guardian Live](https://sundayguardianlive.com/world/russia-ukraine-war-latest-news-marco-rubio-and-ed-miliband-discuss-ukraine-nato-and-europes-security-role-as-russia-intensifies-missile-attacks-254731) — Russia-Ukraine War Latest News: Marco Rubio and Ed Miliband Discuss Ukraine, NATO and Europe’s Security Role as Russia Intensifies Missile Attacks - [연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency](https://yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260806072600009) — U.S. and UK Foreign Ministers Meet in Washington… Discuss European Self-Reliance - [GB News](https://gbnews.com/politics/ed-miliband-white-house-donald-trump-racist-misogynist-marco-rubio) — Ed Miliband manages to avoid White House dressing-down for labelling Donald Trump 'racist idiot' - [Hot News](https://hotnews.ro/in-vizita-la-washington-noul-ministru-de-externe-britanic-refuza-sa-raspunda-daca-il-mai-considera-pe-trump-idiot-rasist-si-misogin-2318106) — On a Visit to Washington, the New British Foreign Minister Refuses to Answer if He Considers Trump "Idiot, Racist and Misogynist" - HotNews.ro - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/news/uk/politics/ed-miliband-trump-rubio-us-visit-b3028264.html) — Miliband says UK and US are ‘closest allies’ but ducks questions on Trump criticism - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6012174-miliband-rubio-washington-meeting) — UK’s new foreign minister ignores questions about calling Trump ‘racist’ - [CNN Greece](https://cnn.gr/kosmos/story/546748/i-asfaleia-evropis-kai-oukranias-kyriarxisan-sto-tet-a-tet-ton-ypeks-ipa-kai-vretanias) — The Security of Europe and Ukraine Dominated the Meeting Between the US and British Foreign Secretaries - [Gazette-News](https://gazette-news.co.uk/news/national/26439979.miliband-ignores-questions-past-views-trump-washington-trip) — Miliband ignores questions about past views on Trump during Washington trip - [The Herald Scotland](https://heraldscotland.com/news/national/26439979.miliband-ignores-questions-past-views-trump-washington-trip) — Miliband ignores questions about past views on Trump during Washington trip - [The National](https://thenational.scot/news/national/26439979.miliband-ignores-questions-past-views-trump-washington-trip) — Miliband ignores questions about past views on Trump during Washington trip - [burytimes.co.uk](https://burytimes.co.uk/news/national/26439979.miliband-ignores-questions-past-views-trump-washington-trip) — Miliband ignores questions about past views on Trump during Washington trip - [theboltonnews.co.uk](https://theboltonnews.co.uk/news/national/26439979.miliband-ignores-questions-past-views-trump-washington-trip) — Miliband ignores questions about past views on Trump during Washington trip - [WTVB](https://wtvbam.com/2026/08/05/rubio-miliband-discuss-ukraine-war-europe-taking-greater-role-in-its-own-security) — Rubio, Miliband discuss Ukraine war, Europe taking greater role in its own security - [rador.ro](https://rador.ro/2026/08/05/europa-trebuie-sa-isi-asume-un-rol-mai-important-in-propria-securitate-sua-si-marea-britanie) — Europe Needs to Take on a More Important Role in Its Own Security (USA and the UK) News Agency Rador - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ed-miliband-trump-washington-the-white-house-labour-b3028053.html) — Miliband ignores questions about past views on Trump during Washington trip - [Evening Standard](https://standard.co.uk/news/politics/ed-miliband-marco-rubio-washington-trump-washington-dc-b1292481.html) — Miliband ignores questions about his views on Trump during Washington trip - [iNews](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/miliband-could-soon-regret-his-trump-racism-comments-4688663) — Miliband could soon regret his Trump 'racism' comments - [Daily Express](https://express.co.uk/news/politics/2235956/ed-miliband-meeting-donald-trump-administration) — Ed Miliband braces for frosty US meeting after attacks on Donald Trump ## Questions **What did Ed Miliband and Marco Rubio discuss?** Miliband and Rubio discussed reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the war in Ukraine, and the situation in Gaza. They also talked about Europe taking a greater role in its own security and preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, as reported by The Herald Scotland and WTVB. **Why did the White House reportedly have concerns about Miliband’s appointment?** The White House reportedly had concerns because Miliband had previously called Donald Trump 'a racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper' in 2016. His advocacy for net-zero policies also conflicts with Trump’s support for fossil fuels, as noted by The Herald Scotland and the Gazette-News. **Did Miliband address his past criticism of Trump during the meeting?** No. Miliband ignored questions about his past remarks on Trump, including calling him 'racist' and 'misogynistic'. The Herald Scotland reported that he smiled and said, 'We are looking forward to our meeting,' before entering the State Department. **Which outlets reported on the White House’s concerns about Miliband?** The Gazette-News, The National, burytimes.co.uk, theboltonnews.co.uk and The Independent all carried digests mentioning the White House’s reported concerns about Miliband’s appointment as Foreign Secretary. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/ed-miliband-meets-marco-rubio-in-washington-amid-past-trump-criticism. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Ed Miliband meets Marco Rubio in Washington amid past Trump criticism", https://mediabias.news/politics/ed-miliband-meets-marco-rubio-in-washington-amid-past-trump-criticism