Are Donald Trump and Boris Johnson going through a tiff or is the bromance over before the honeymoon really got underway?
Business Insider reports that things are going downhill rapidly for BoJo and the Mango Mussolini.
Donald Trump's previously close relationship with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson looks close to collapse, with the president reportedly accusing him "betrayal" after a furious phone call between the two leaders.
Trump's behaviour during the call was described by officials as "apoplectic," with the president reportedly slamming the phone down to end the call.
Johnson has now cancelled his plans for a visit to the White House next month.
The prime minister had been one of Trump's few close international allies, with the president labelling Johnson "fantastic," a "good man" and "Britain Trump."
However, relations broke down following a series of high-profile threats from Trump and a series of pointed interventions against Trump by Johnson and senior members of his government.Johnson has broken with Trump, criticizing Trump for "failing to lead" and accusing the Great American Bloat with "letting the air out of the tires of the world economy." Donnie does not like to be disrespected, y'all.
And now, a bit of classic BoJo from just five years ago.
8 comments:
I can't wait to Hear what James O'Brien has to say. Boris is doing a complete flip. If only others had the same ability to express themselves. Need I mention whom?
Hmmm, I see negotiations over the new UK-US trade deal are going well. LOL!
Cap
No, Zoombats, that won't be necessary, thanks.
Cap, I just posted about a terrific legal website I stumbled across today, Verdict. I'm pretty sure you'll really enjoy it.
That telephone conversation has been reported many times over. It was over Huawei, and the UK's decision to allow 35% of their 5G market to that company. Trump become apoplectic because BoJo refused to be a poodle and reject Huawei just because Donnie said so.
I bet JT buckles. We'll get the usual line here about ChiCom untrustworthiness, and if Huawei has any sense, they'll stop sponsoring Hockey Night in Canada.
Subsequent articles from many quarters seem to suggest that the US security establishment has had backdoors into all major communications for decades through a Swiss encryption company actually CIA-owned, whose software all telecommunications manufacturers use BUT Huawei, allowing the NSA to read your email, phone etc ad infinitum. Remember the revelation about uS spying on Merkel? The US is completely untrustworthy even with its best friends.
Huawei has refused to incorporate the US back door ebcryption software in their equipment, so the Americans in true style think it's because the Chinese governement gets the backdoor instead because that's what THEY would do. The Brits have gone over Huawei equipment with a fine toothcomb according to the Grauniad, and see no sign of any "back door". The Germans are likely to approve Huawei 5G as well, and I don't suppose France gives a flying f*ck what ANYone else thinks.
Thus when a country defies the Imperial might of Trump and the US intelligence establishment, they get cut off from the high level stuff. Being a member of 5 Eyes matters not one jot to the the US. It's absolute obedience or else. Thus we can expect that only NZ, Oz and us will bend to Trump - we're weak. And GCHQ intelligence in Blighty won't pass their tips onto the Americans anymore either.
The big bully is on the warpath against "Allies" who talk back.
BM
BM, I've wondered if alienating America's historic allies isn't the single best thing Trump has achieved for Putin.
Remember the revelation about uS spying on Merkel? The US is completely untrustworthy even with its best friends.
Kissinger said.
The USA has no friends and no enemies, it only has interests..
Rafe Mair said.
Beware of Sam Slick the American trader..
When are we going to stop reaching out for the American carrot?
TB
Interesting questions, TB. How do we establish buffers when our economies are so tightly integrated?
I think it would take a broad, strategic evaluation of what we need to defend, what that might require and at what cost.
In this era of "everyday low taxes" and priority on the short-term rather than longer-term interests we seem to be wrong-footed on this.
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