Britons in King Trump’s Court

Trump met with Johnson in an apartment between toilet and kitchen.

As the great and the good of the U.S. Republican Party gather in Wisconsin’s largest city for their pre-election jamboree, a host of familiar British faces are there too. And they’re all vying for the attention of Donald Trump, writes POLITICO.

First out of the traps was former PM Liz Truss, who arrived at the Republican National Conference (RNC) Monday.

Now ousted from the British parliament as well as from No.10 Downing Street, Truss is trying to reinvent herself as a populist right-winger on the international stage, making clear she’s backing Trump for the U.S. presidency. She tweeted a picture of herself with Trump’s new running mate, J. D. Vance, on Wednesday night, hailing the “true conservative” as exactly “what America needs.”

But Truss was beaten to a face-to-face meeting with Trump himself by her predecessor as British PM, Boris Johnson, who met with the presidential nominee in person Tuesday.

“Great to meet President Trump who is on top form after the shameful attempt on his life,” Johnson wrote on X, alongside a picture of the two blond-haired men, thumbs aloft. “We discussed Ukraine and I have no doubt that he will be strong and decisive in supporting that country and defending democracy.” (Photo).

Privately, Johnson sees a potential role for himself as Britain’s “Trump whisperer” on European security.

The two leaders struck up a good rapport while Johnson was in No. 10 Downing Street, and the former PM believes he can help push Trump into a more pro-Ukraine position if he reclaims the U.S. presidency on November 5.

An ally of Johnson with knowledge of the meeting confirmed there was “friendly chit-chat” between the two men but that the “main issue of substance was Ukraine.”

Johnson, this individual said, did not only push Trump on maintaining American support for Ukraine — but actually argued the U.S. should be “doubling down” on its efforts, suggesting this would prove cost-effective in the long run by preventing an even bigger war in Europe.

“Certainly the president listened carefully to the arguments. It was constructive,” said the individual, who like others quoted in this article was granted anonymity so they could speak candidly.

Others in Europe aren’t holding out much hope, however — especially following Trump’s decision to name Vance as his running mate. The Ohio senator is an avowed isolationist, and once told former Trump adviser Steve Bannon: “I got to be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another.”

But there’s another threat to Johnson’s efforts to bend Trump’s ear on Ukraine. Aides say the former U.S. president is more likely to listen to another politician on the British right — one with a far more skeptical view of Kyiv.

Enter Farage. Veteran Brexiteer Nigel Farage arrived in Milwaukee only Wednesday evening, having been held up in Britain by his newly-acquired duties as an elected MP. (By contrast, Johnson quit the U.K. parliament last year, while Truss lost her seat in the July 4 election.)

An ally claimed Farage had actually adopted an “unofficial” backchannel with Trump in 2016 after he entered the White House, adding: “I can’t imagine anything changing” if Trump wins again.

The feeling is mutual, according to two people close to Trump’s campaign with knowledge of international affairs.

“If Trump wants to talk about anything U.K., he talks [to] Nigel,” said one, highlighting the two men’s “cordial, very respectful relationship.”

The presence of several of the British right’s biggest figures in Wisconsin poses an interesting dilemma for Britain’s new left-of-center prime minister, Keir Starmer.

Allied to the U.S. Democrats, Starmer’s Labour government was never likely to warm to Trump.

But could a right-wing shadow diplomat — a “Trump whisperer” — help Starmer’s government influence the would-be-president?

Johnson believes he’s effectively already playing the role, and would be interested in working with the Labour government if Starmer was so inclined.

But the person close to the Trump campaign was less flattering about Johnson’s efforts.

 “Boris is trying to seek relevancy, and Trump’s the most relevant person right now,” they said bluntly.

“The greatest challenge Boris has is the Ukraine position. [It’s] completely out of sorts with President Trump’s… He’s not a Trump whisperer.”

A second person close to the Trump campaign confirmed it is Farage who remains Trump’s go-to guy for U.K. issues.

read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs