Boris Johnson was accused of “dog whistle racism” and likened to right-wing “Tea Party” politicians in the U.S. this morning after his attack on the “part-Kenyan” Barack Obama.
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“Let me be clear, ultimately this is something that the British voters have to decide for themselves but … part of being friends is to be honest and to let you know what I think”, he said.
Johnson also recounted a claim that a bust of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was removed from the Oval Office after Obama was elected and returned to the British Embassy. The White House has said that the Churchill bust is still in a prominent place in the presidential residence.
Obama also cited TTIP in an anti-Brexit opinion piece he wrote today for the British newspaper The Telegraph. “The United States sees how your powerful voice in Europe ensures that Europe takes a strong stance in the world, and keeps the European Union open, outward looking, and closely linked to its allies on the other side of the Atlantic…”
So the USA and the world need your outsised influence to continue? including within Europe? from intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism to forging agreements to create jobs and economic growth? will be far more effective if it extends across Europe.
Last week, Johnson told one newspaper that the US would never allow another power to compromise its own sovereignty.
In the article, Obama said Cameron had become distracted by other issues during an air campaign in Libya, leaving the United States to lead while the U.K. played a more supporting role. Obama, Cameron and European Union leaders launched the negotiations in the United Kingdom.
Clearly, there are no qualms at 10 Downing Street about his impact – he and Cameron will appear together just in time for the early evening television news and Obama is certain to hijack the media cycle for several days.
Any trip to Britain by a USA president – and the paraphenalia he brings with him: Air Force One, fleets of helicopters and motorcades of armored limousines – get blanket coverage.
He said the U.S.is focused on writing a massive trade agreement with the European Union and would not prioritize a bilateral agreement with the UK.
“Speaking honestly, the outcome of that decision is a matter of deep interest to the United States because it affects our prospects as well”, Obama said, and also hinted that the U.K. would be a less valuable ally to Washington if it left the bloc.
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Johnson wrote that some said removing the bust “was a symbol of the part-Kenyan president’s ancestral dislike of the British Empire, of which Churchill had been such a fervent defender”.
