Trump hits out at Boris Johnson: ‘He has seemed to have gone further left’

Former president resists chance to take sides in Johnson-Farage dispute

Former President Donald Trump knocked Prime Minister Boris Johnson in an interview that aired on Wednesday by suggesting that the Conservative Party’s leader had inched to the left on some issues, particularly related to climate change.

Speaking with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Mr Trump made the suggestion that Mr Johnson’s political leanings had tilted towards the left since the president left office in January.

His remark came in response to Mr Hewitt’s criticism of Mr Johnson over the charge that the prime minister had “cancell[ed] Christmas”, and the suggestion that right-wing Brexit champion Nigel Farage was “angry” as a result.

“Boris is in big trouble because, Nigel is so angry, as is the House of Commons, because they had a Christmas party at Number 10 last year while Boris cancelled Christmas. Do you think he survives this?” asked Hewitt.

“Well, I don’t know if he actually cancelled Christmas,” said Mr Trump in response, before adding: “I know Boris very well, but he has seemed to have gone further left. And his whole stance on the environment has changed quite a bit.”

His remarks appeared to refer to Mr Johnson’s efforts this year to encourage countries participating in the COP26 climate conference to promise greater emissions cuts and his dire warnings about the oncoming effects of a warming Earth.

“It’s one minute to midnight on that doomsday clock and we need to act now,” Mr Johnson warned in November.

Mr Trump went on to say that he was “not sure that people are loving it” in the UK, while adding that he personally “always had a good relationship with” the prime minister.

The former president indicated that he was hesitant to get in the middle of a dispute between Mr Johnson and Mr Farage, both of whom he has considered to be political allies in the past. Mr Johnson appeared alongside Mr Trump when the latter came to the UK on a state visit in late 2019, and Mr Farage has campaigned alongside the former president at his numerous raucous rallies.

“[Y]ou know, what am I going to do?” he asked Mr Hewitt. “It’s one of the few cases, I get along with both of them, Hugh. You know, I get along with both of them.”

Mr Trump’s friendly terms with Mr Johnson have somehow endured despite the prime minister publicly breaking with his former US counterpart in January following the deadly riot at the US Capitol. In a public statement, Mr Johnson held Mr Trump personally responsible for sparking the violence that day, and condemned his actions.

"All my life America has stood for some very important things. An idea of freedom, an idea of democracy,” said Mr Johnson to reporters in January. "As you say, in so far as he encouraged people to storm the Capitol, and in so far as the president has consistently cast doubt on the outcome of a free and fair election, I believe that was completely wrong.”

"I believe what President Trump has been saying about that has been completely wrong and I unreservedly condemn encouraging people to behave in the disgraceful way that they did in the Capitol,” he added at the time.

Others, including conservatives, who condemned Mr Trump after the events of 6 January felt the wrath of the now ex-president in return; Mr Trump has endorsed primary challengers against those who either voted for his impeachment or did not acquiesce to his efforts to overturn the rightful results of the 2020 election across the US, and lashed out publicly at any who have suggested he holds responsibility for the riot that occurred minutes after he told his supporters to “fight” for the election to be overturned at a rally outside the White House.

Mr Johnson has distanced himself from Mr Trump in the months since the latter left office, and in an interview with The Washington Post appeared to publicly embrace Mr Biden’s political agenda. He has even taken to repeating the president’s post-Covid economic recovery slogan, “Build Back Better”.

“I genuinely don’t think there has been a time I can remember when I felt such a complete community of ideas and interests,” said Mr Johnson in a September interview, adding: “Not just with Biden but with the US at the moment. We really see things from the same perspective.”