'Do you think he really understands history?'
New Zealand's then-High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Phil Goff speaks at a commemoration service on Anzac Day at Westminster Abbey, London, Britain April 25, 2024. (REUTERS/Belinda Jiao/Pool/File Photo)
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The New Zealand diplomat stated he was re-reading a well-known Churchill speech of 1938 in which the British prime minister excoriates then-Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's signature of the Munich Agreement with Adolf Hitler.
"President Trump has placed the bust of Churchill back in the Oval Office. But does he actually get history?", Goff asked Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, alluding to the bust visible during President Trump's testy confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.".
Valtonen appeared hesitant about the question and stated she would "limit" herself in responding. Instead of commenting on Trump, the Finnish official said several of Churchill's comments were "timeless."
U.S. President Donald Trump (C) and Vice President JD Vance meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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In remarks to the press, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, Goff's firing minister, referred to the diplomat's inquiry as "deeply disappointing." He further indicated that it rendered "his position as high commissioner to London untenable."
Peters described Goff's dismissal as "one of the hardest" things he has ever done in his professional life. He also stated that if the former high commissioner had made the comment about any other country, he would have been "forced to act," which suggests that the dismissal was not due to the fact that Goff personally offended Trump.
New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters attends a press conference, following his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in Beijing, China Feb. 26, 2025. (REUTERS/Laurie Chen/Pool)
"When you're in that role, you're representing the government and the policies of the time – you can't free-think, you're the face of New Zealand," Peters said to the media on Thursday.
Goff has enjoyed a long political career and has been foreign minister, a Labour Party leader and Auckland mayor. He was named to his current role as high commissioner to the UK in 2022.