Trump predicts Boris Johnson ‘will be great’ UK prime minister

President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised incoming Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the UK version of himself, saying ‘that’s a good thing’ and he is the leader that Britain needs.

‘We have a really good man who’s going to be the prime minister of the UK now,’ Trump told a crowd of teenagers at the Turning Point USA’s Teen Summit.

He called Johnson ‘good man.’ 

‘He’s tough and he’s smart. They call him Britain’s Trump. And people are saying that’s a good thing. They like me over there. That’s what they wanted. That’s what they need. That’s what they need. He’ll get it done. Boris is good. He’s going to do a good job,’ Trump said. 

Johnson, a leader in the pro-Brexit movement, is coming into office as Britain struggles to come to an agreement on how to leave the European Union.  

President Donald Trump praised new UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, calling him the British version of himself and saying he was a ‘good man’

Trump said Johnson was what the UK needed right now

Trump said Johnson was what the UK needed right now

The president also called out Brexit Party Leader Nigel Farage, who was in the audience. 

‘Nigel, where are you?’ Trump called out putting his hand up against the glare of the spotlights. 

He spotted the 55 year old in the crowd of teenagers, most of whom were wearing red ‘Make America Great Again’ hats. 

‘I said what is he doing here he’s a little older than most of you,’ Trump said, adding: ‘I know he’s going to work well with Boris. They’re going to do some good things.’

Earlier Tuesday Trump offered his congratulations to Johnson, predicting he will do a ‘great’ job. 

‘Congratulations to Boris Johnson on becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He will be great!,’ Trump wrote on Twitter shortly after Johnson won the Conservative Party’s contest to replace outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May.

The president repeatedly has praised Johnson, the pro-Brexit former Mayor of London. 

‘I like him,’ Trump said on Friday. ‘I think he’s going to do a great job. I think we’re going to have a great relationship.’

The president also criticized May, saying she had ‘done a very bad job with Brexit.’ 

‘It’s a disaster and it shouldn’t be that way. I think Boris will straighten it out,’ Trump predicated last week.

President Donald Trump offered his congratulations to new UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, predicting he will do a 'great' job

President Donald Trump offered his congratulations to new UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, predicting he will do a ‘great’ job

Boris Johnson was elected as the new Prime Minister on Tuesday

Boris Johnson was elected as the new Prime Minister on Tuesday

Johnson insisted he can ‘deliver Brexit and unite the country’ today after the Tories installed him as their new leader. 

The front runner was declared the winner of the bruising battle against Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt as the two sat side-by-side in a dramatic ceremony at the Queen Elizabeth II centre in Westminster.

Family members including father Stanley, sister Rachel and brother Jo were among those in the audience to hear the news that he had secured 66 per cent of the votes from activists. However, there was no sign of girlfriend Carrie Symonds. 

Johnson – whose ambition as a boy was to be ‘World King’ – paid tribute to Hunt, and thanked May for her ‘extraordinary’ service to the country. 

He said the party now had to reconcile the need for a close relationship with Europe to the desire for ‘democratic self-government’.  

Johnson said he would ‘deliver Brexit, unite the country and defeat Jeremy Corbyn’. He joked that the acronym for his ‘deliver, unite and defeat’ goals was ‘DUD’. But he insisted he was going to add an ‘E’ to make ‘DUDE’. 

‘We are going to energize the country,’ he said to laughter. ‘Like some slumbering giant we are going to arise and ping off the guy ropes of self-doubt.’ 

Trump with Johnson (and Prime Minister May) at a May 2017 NATO meeting when Johnson was Britain's foreign secretary

Trump with Johnson (and Prime Minister May) at a May 2017 NATO meeting when Johnson was Britain’s foreign secretary

Ivanka Trump tweeted her congratulations to Johnson

Ivanka Trump tweeted her congratulations to Johnson

Johnson, whose political brashness and hair style is reminiscent of Trump, has picked his battles in when to speak out against the president. Johnson has stressed the importance of a close relationship between the U.S. and the UK.

WHO IS BORIS JOHNSON

Boris Johnson, 55, was born in New York City to British parents. He had both UK and American citizenship until he renounced his U.S. one in 2017.

He attended Eton College and Oxford and worked as a journalist before he entered into politics.

He was first elected as a member of Parliament in 2001 and tried to unsuccessfully impeach then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair for giving British support to the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

In 2008 he became Mayor of London and lead preparations for it hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.

Johnson returned to Parliament in 2016 and endorsed the ‘Vote Leave’ as part of the campaign for Britain to exit the European Union.

He served as foreign secretary from 2016 to 2018.

His brash, unfiltered style has gotten him into political hot water. He has had to defend himself against comments interpreted as racist.

He and Trump got off to a rocky start but have become closer.

Johnson’s personal life has been as colorful as his political one. In 1987, he married Allegra Mostyn-Owen but the marriage was dissolved in 1993.

A couple of weeks later he married Marina Wheeler, and, five weeks later, Wheeler and Johnson’s first child was born. The couple have two daughters and two sons.

In 2009, Johnson fathered a daughter with Helen MacIntyre.

In 2018, Johnson and Wheeler divorced.

There was speculation Trump and Johnson could hold a sit down in June when the president was in the UK for a state visit – a move that would have been interpreted as Trump interference in the upcoming UK election – but no meeting was ever publicly announced. 

Johnson did not speak out in defense of former British Ambassador Kim Darroch – a move that partially led to Darroch’s resignation – after Trump slammed the ambassador as ‘wacky’ in the wake of diplomatic cables revealed by the Mailonline.

But Johnson did slam the president for is ‘go back’ tweet, in which Trump suggested four minority lawmakers – three of whom were born in the U.S. – go ‘back where they came from.’

‘If you’re the leader of a great multiracial, multicultural society you simply cannot use that kind of language about sending people back to where they came from,’ Johnson said last week during a debate.

‘That went out decades and decades ago and thank heavens for that,’ he added. ‘I simply can’t understand how a leader of that country could come to say it.’ 

Johnson’s ascension comes at a critical time in U.S.-UK relations: a British oil tanker is in Iranian hands and both the U.S. and the UK are boosting their military presence in the gulf. 

The PM-elect has already been plotting the first frantic phase of his premiership. Allies are determined to forge ahead with multi-billion pound promises to cut taxes – even if it means increasing government borrowing. 

However, Johnson is also facing a potentially catastrophic Tory mutiny as MPs mobilize against his ‘do or die’ vow to secure Brexit by Halloween – even if it means crashing out without an agreement.  

Education minister Anne Milton quit Tuesday morning in advance of Mr Johnson’s expected coronation, saying she had ‘grave concerns’ and could not fall into line with his Brexit policy.  

Justice Secretary David Gauke – another of around half-a-dozen ministers who have said they will resign rather than serve under Johnson – issued a stark warning this morning that Parliament will find a way to block No Deal. 

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, also is leaving.

Boris Johnson - whose ambition as a boy was to be 'World King' - paid tribute to Hunt, and thanked Theresa May for her 'extraordinary' service to the country

Boris Johnson – whose ambition as a boy was to be ‘World King’ – paid tribute to Hunt, and thanked Theresa May for her ‘extraordinary’ service to the country

Contenders Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt shook hands as they heard the dramatic vote result

Contenders Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt shook hands as they heard the dramatic vote result 

Johnson said he would 'energize' the country and wake the 'slumbering giant' to take advantage of Brexit opportunities

Johnson said he would ‘energize’ the country and wake the ‘slumbering giant’ to take advantage of Brexit opportunities

Johnson's father Stanley (left) and sister Rachel were among those gathering to hear the Tory leadership result in Westminster

Johnson’s father Stanley (left) and sister Rachel were among those gathering to hear the Tory leadership result in Westminster

Johnson said critics may ‘question the wisdom of your decision’ after he was announced as the new Tory leader.

He said: ‘No one party, no one person has a monopoly of wisdom but… it is we Conservatives who have had the best insights into human nature and the best insights into how to manage the jostling sets of instincts in the human heart.

‘Time and again it is to us that the people of this country have turned to get that balance right.’ 

How will the new PM’s first 100 days in power shake out? 

The new PM faces a trial by fire in his first 100 days in office – which culminates in the Brexit deadline on October 31. 

Here are some of the key events: 

Today: The new Tory leader is announced at an event in central London, with Boris Johnson the overwhelming favorite to win. 

July 24: Theresa May will take her final session of Prime Minister’s Questions before making a brief statement in Downing Street, and heading to Buckingham Palace to offer her resignation to the Queen. 

Her successor will then go to see the monarch to be asked to form a new government. 

Johnson is expected to deliver a speech outside No10 at around 5pm, before making the first few appointments to his top team. His girlfriend Carrie Symonds is not thought to be planning to be on show as he faces the media.

July 25-26: The Commons breaks up for its summer recess on Thursday. Johnson will finish appointing his ministers, and could give a keynote speech fleshing out his plans.    

August 24: G7 Summit in Biarritz. The new prime minister’s first appearance at a major global summit. 

Donald Trump will be among the world leaders at the gathering, potentially providing the opportunity for a meeting with the controversial U.S. president in an effort to highlight the importance of the special relationship and a future trade deal. 

September: The UN General Assembly meeting in New York will provide another opportunity for the new prime minister to appear on the global stage and set out their vision for the country’s place in the world. –

September 29 to October 2: Conservative Party Conference. 

The gathering in Manchester will be a key test of the new Tory leader’s ability to unite the party and provides a platform to use their closing speech to address the nation. 

October 17-18: EU summit. This is the last schedule meeting of EU leaders before the UK is due to leave the bloc – although an emergency gathering could be called before or afterwards.

October 31: The deadline for reaching a Brexit deal. 

Unless there is a further extension, this will be the UK’s last day as a member of the European Union and it will leave, with or without an agreement. 

Sources in Johnson’s camp had predicted he would secure more than 60 per cent of the vote, giving him a ‘free hand’ to sack his enemies and steer the Tories on a new course.  

In all, up to a dozen ministers are expected to jump ship in the next 36 hours before Johnson officially becomes PM Wednesday afternoon.

Allies of Johnson insist he is determined to ensure his premiership is not only about Brexit.

They want to push a new insurance system for social care, boost schools funding and increase the higher tax threshold to £80,000.

During the campaign Johnson made spending pledges that have been calculated at more than £26billion.

He wants to raise the national Insurance threshold to £12,500 to help low earners, which would cost around £11billion, increase the minimum wage, and cut stamp duty. 

But supporters of Mr Johnson told the Telegraph he would press ahead with key policies by borrowing if necessary.

‘We are talking about a fiscal loosening of less than 1 per cent of total public spending. It would do a lot to get things moving for the middle classes, to get them spending more money,’ one aide said.

A former minister in Johnson’s camp added: ‘In order to honor Boris’s spending pledges, the next budget is going to have to put a temporary freeze on deficit reduction. 

‘Of course it is important to continue fixing the roof but there is going to have to be some flexibility there to give the economy the post-Brexit boost that it needs.’

On the eve of what is likely to be a dramatic few days, former prime ministers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and John Major warned Johnson that pursuing a No Deal Brexit would end in disaster.

Newly elected Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson also predicted she could become prime minister if Johnson is forced to call a snap election this year. 

Johnson will formally become prime minister Wednesday.  

May will take a final session of prime minister’s questions in the Commons before traveling to Buckingham palace to inform the Queen of her resignation.

Whitehall sources said that, despite the government’s slender majority, Her Majesty is then expected to send for Johnson. 

The former foreign secretary will then begin an immediate Cabinet reshuffle.  

Johnson is then preparing to make a Commons statement setting out his program for government on Thursday, just hours before MPs break up for the long summer recess. 

Former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, who is expected to join the Cabinet, last night played down the prospect of a serious mutiny against the new leader by Tory MPs.

Anne Milton

The Education minister quit in a letter today

Education minister Anne Milton became the latest to resign over Johnson’s Brexit policy today saying she had ‘grave’ concerns about No Deal 

He added: ‘I think the number of troublemakers will be relatively few because it will be so obviously self-indulgent.’ But attitudes among Tory MPs opposed to a No Deal Brexit appeared to be hardening last night. 

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk