Trump is set to arrive in the UK on Monday. He's already stirring up drama.
It appears President Trump has a favorite candidate for the United Kingdom's next prime minister.
Trump on Friday praised British MP Boris Johnson, a pro-Brexit Tory who is considered one of the favorites to replace outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May in June, in an interview with the British tabloid, The Sun. His words caused a stir in the U.K. ahead of his scheduled visit to the country on Monday.
Trump said Johnson would make an "excellent" prime minister and that he has always been fond of him. Johnson has not responded to Trump's comments, but, The Guardian writes, he has not always seen eye to eye with the president. At one point, referring to Trump's 2015 comments that there were "no-go areas in London" where police feared for their lives because of threats posed by Muslims, Johnson said Trump displayed "stupefying ignorance" and was "unfit" for the office of the presidency.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump also claimed other candidates for prime minister had approached him for endorsements, The Guardian reports.
In the same interview, Trump criticized Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, who will reportedly not be present when Trump meets with the rest of the royal family. Trump called her "nasty," when he learned of negative comments Markle made before the 2016 presidential election. He did, however, say he is sure Markle will "do excellently" as a royal.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
How will China’s $1 trillion trade surplus change the world economy?Today’s Big Question Europe may impose its own tariffs
-
‘Autarky and nostalgia aren’t cure-alls’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Japan’s Princess Aiko is a national star. Her fans want even more.IN THE SPOTLIGHT Fresh off her first solo state visit to Laos, Princess Aiko has become the face of a Japanese royal family facing 21st-century obsolescence
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
-
Ex-FBI agents sue Patel over protest firingspeed read The former FBI agents were fired for kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest for ‘apolitical tactical reasons’
-
Trump unveils $12B bailout for tariff-hit farmersSpeed Read The president continues to insist that his tariff policy is working
-
Trump’s Comey case dealt new setbackspeed read A federal judge ruled that key evidence could not be used in an effort to reindict former FBI Director James Comey
-
Moscow cheers Trump’s new ‘America First’ strategyspeed read The president’s national security strategy seeks ‘strategic stability’ with Russia
-
Trump tightens restrictions for work visasSpeed Read The length of work permits for asylum seekers and refugees has been shortened from five years to 18 months
-
Supreme Court revives Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read Texas Republicans can use the congressional map they approved in August at President Donald Trump’s behest
