President Biden gave outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson a cold shoulder in a first statement while responding to Johnson’s resignation from office on Thursday – without mentioning the outgoing leader’s name.
“The United Kingdom and the United States are the closest of friends and allies, and the special relationship between our people remains strong and enduring,” Biden said in the statement. obtained from CBS News.
“I look forward to continuing our close collaboration with the UK Government and our allies and partners around the world on a number of important priorities,” the President continued. “This includes maintaining a strong and unified approach to supporting the people of Ukraine while they fight back [Russian President Vladimir] To hold Putin’s brutal war against their democracy and Russia accountable for its actions.”
Biden’s statement is a sharp departure from those of his predecessors in response to the resignations of previous British prime ministers.
When David Cameron resigned as Prime Minister after the Brexit referendum in 2016, President Barack Obama called him “an outstanding friend and partner on the global stage” in a speech at Stanford University’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit.
Three years later, President Donald Trump said he had “bad” feelings for Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, after she resigned for failing to get Parliament on board with her proposed deal that would allow Britain to leave the EU to fetch.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses the nation as he announces his resignation Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
President Biden gave outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson a cold shoulder in a first statement in response to Johnson’s resignation by Valeria Mongelli/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“I feel bad for Theresa. I like her a lot,” Trump told reporters at the time. “She is a good woman. She worked very hard. She is very strong. She decided to do something that surprised some people and not others. It’s for the good of their country. But I like her very much.”
When Tony Blair handed power to his longtime lieutenant Gordon Brown in 2007, President George W. Bush praised Blair as “a political figure capable of thinking outside the box.”
“I saw him as a man who kept his word, which is sometimes rare in the political circles I travel in,” Bush said at the time, according to R.
Biden’s statement is a sharp departure from those of his predecessors in response to the resignations of previous British prime ministers. Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“If Tony Blair tells you something like we say in Texas, you can take it to the bank,” Bush added.
Why Biden didn’t mention Johnson in the statement is unclear. The White House did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment.
When asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins if he had reacted to Johnson’s resignation, Biden said responded, “No, that’s part of the process.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated that the U.S.-Britain alliance remains “strong” and that cooperation between the two nations – particularly in relation to military aid to Ukraine – is “not changing in any way”. will.
Johnson, who has been in office since 2019, said Thursday that he will remain in office until a successor is appointed, a process that could take several weeks.
The prime minister’s resignation came after a series of controversies eroded confidence in his leadership – most notably the “Partygate” scandal, which resulted in Johnson being fined for breaking COVID-19 lockdown rules set by his own government was occupied.