Boris Johnson “silenced” Donald Trump by making him withdraw from an interview with Piers Morgan during the Tories’ 2019 election campaign, a new book reveals
- Johnson’s advisers feared that Trump’s support could damage conservatives’ popularity
A new book reveals that Boris Johnson “silenced” Donald Trump by making him walk out of an interview with Piers Morgan during the Tories’ campaign to win the 2019 general election.
Mr Johnson’s advisers feared Mr Trump’s support would hurt the Conservatives’ popularity ratings, even though the party was rising in the polls.
Mr Trump was due to be interviewed by Mr Morgan, then working for ITV’s Good Morning Britain, while visiting London for a NATO conference in December 2019.
But aides warned that if Trump publicly expressed his admiration for Johnson, it would backfire.
Mr Johnson was told the then American president had a “toxic” image in Britain and this would damage his public image.
“But it was only when the former prime minister called the 45th American president (left) and told him not to speak to Mr. Morgan (right) that the interview was officially canceled.” Trump and Morgan are together in New York on November 10th Pictured in 2010
Political strategist Isaac Levido, who ran the Conservative election campaign later that year, was persuaded to cancel the interview with requests to Morgan’s friend Rebekah Brooks, CEO of News UK, and contacts in the television industry.
But it was only when the former prime minister called America’s 45th president and told him not to speak to Mr Morgan that the interview was officially canceled.
Mr Johnson told the president: “Please, Donald, don’t do that.” “That wouldn’t be helpful,” says “The Right To Rule,” a book by the Daily Telegraph’s political editor Ben Riley-Smith, which the 13 years in power of the Tories reviewed.
It goes on to say: “Team Boris concluded that the supposed leader of the free world could not be trusted with his tongue” and that Morgan “had a track record of getting the US President to use unwritten language during visits to the UK comments to cause chaos”.
It continues: “Trump liked to call Johnson ‘Britain Trump,’ perhaps because of their hair-styling similarities, disregard for political norms and populist instincts.” But in Britain, Trump support was toxic.
“A call to Trump himself was used to get a rejection.” “The plea worked.”
According to the book, the matter was not left there and was the subject of a heated debate at News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch’s Christmas party.
President Donald Trump meets with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Mr Morgan met a senior member of Mr Johnson’s team at the party and began “expressing his frustration” to them at losing the interview.
The book refers to two sources that confirm the phone call between Mr. Johnson and Mr. Trump.
Mr Johnson declined to comment.