He slammed the phone down
Aw, sad, Trump and Johnson aren’t besties any more.
Donald Trump’s previously close relationship with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson looks close to collapse, following new revelations that the president slammed down the phone on him.
Trump’s behaviour during last week’s call was described by officials as “apoplectic,” and Johnson has now reportedly shelved plans for an imminent visit to Washington.
So I guess there’s a downside to having an unstable bad-tempered moronic self-dealing hack as president?
[R]elations 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.
What, because of a few threats? Losers.
Why did Trump get mad?
The call, which one source described to the Financial Times as “very difficult,” came after Johnson defied Trump and allowed Chinese telecoms company Huawei the rights to develop the UK’s 5G network.
Trump’s fury was triggered by Johnson backing Huawei despite multiple threats by Trump and his allies that the United States would withdraw security co-operation with the UK if the deal went ahead.
Hm. Trump’s fury was triggered by a failure to do his bidding. That sounds like him.
I don’t think the significance of that British decision is really understood in the US. Five years ago, it would have been inconceivable that one of the Five Eyes partners would compromise their intelligence relationship with the US. Britain is the most important partner. Canada is mulling the same decision, and is probably now going to do something very similar.
In the end, it is down to a simple fact. The US cannot now be trusted. Trump has repeatedly compromised the intelligence of allies, including their assets. The Huawei affair in Canada has clearly illustrated that the US will not act to defend the interests of traditional allies against Russia, China and other powers at the expense of US interests – even where the situation has been created by American demands. Johnson is keenly aware of this, his choice was to weaken an intelligence relationship with a state where vital intelligence leaks out the top, or deal with Chinese hostility. Throwing the broken relationship over the side is the pragmatic choice, and not one of America’s allies in the post-war era actually disagrees with the logic.
Yeah, it is pretty well entrenched now that the Australian PM will brown nose the US P.
Every one of the allied governments has had to make choices and concessions, although I take your point about Australia.
I’m not sure that Johnson ever was “besties” with Trump. He’s always been rightly cautious about him. His remark prior to Trump’s election is well known (Trump is “… betraying a quite stupefying ignorance that makes him frankly unfit to hold the office of President of the United States”). But of course any British PM is going to want a working relationship with the US President, whatever they think of him personally. These days, of course, one also needs to have a working relationship with China.
So Putin’s plan is working.