Boris Johnson’s Trumpian tactics could still scupper an EU trade deal

The UK is unprepared for a no-deal outcome in EU trade negotiations – yet the prime minister still thinks the other side will yield, writes John Rentoul

Boris Johnson speaking in parliament (EPA-EFE)

Boris Johnson isn’t very like Donald Trump. As someone said this week, at the very least we know that Johnson reads books. But there is a superficial similarity in the way they conduct negotiations. 

Since Tuesday the president has refused to accept defeat, just as four years ago he refused to accept Hillary Clinton had won more votes than him, even though he had won the election. 

Trump cannot allow himself to say he has lost, or that the other candidate won more votes, because that would make him a loser, and as long as he says he’s a winner that makes it true. It makes some kind of sense at an emotional level and you can’t say it served him badly in his life because he got to be president.