“President Obama for example”.
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The spokesman also smiled as he was asked how he thought Johnson’s appointment would affect the relationship between the U.S. and UK.
In France, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault Thursday branded his British counterpart a liar.
“You saw what his style was like through the campaign? Now, it’s him with his back against the wall to defend his country and to clarify his relationship with Europe”, Ayrault said.
“I need a partner with whom I can negotiate and who is clear, credible and reliable”.
The former London mayor is popular in Britain and well-known overseas – not least for a colourful use of language regularly directed at foreigners, including White House hopeful Hillary Clinton and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He’s offended countries across the world, dubbed Turkey’s President a “wankerer” and compared Russia’s President Putin to Dobby the House Elf from Harry Potter.
Controversy over Johnson’s appointment overshadowed the first day of May’s premiership, which brings some stability after three tumultuous weeks following the European Union vote.
Johnson also has had choice words for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. And a year ago he said: “The only reason I wouldn’t visit some parts of NY is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump”.
He also made a huge gaffe during the referendum campaign when he made disparaging remarks about Barack Obama, who he described as “part-Kenyan” president who had an “ancestral dislike of Britain”.
Some of the most senior members of European governments have rounded on Johnson for the tactics he deployed during the referendum campaign. Michael Eboda, editor of the now defunct New Nation, a newspaper aimed at the black British community, told Johnson “Some of the articles and comments you’ve put together have been extraordinarily abusive of black people”. Pushkov said that he hoped Johnson would not have the same “anti-Russian” views. Johnson replaced Philip Hammond on this post, who was in turn appointed as UK Chancellor.
Indeed, in the weeks running up to Brexit, liberal news outlets regularly ran stories claiming Brexit would make Britain’s environment worse, or make it harder for Europe – and the world – to address global warming.
But a third said few wanted to have dinner with the Brit – after he compared the European Union to Hitler in the Referendum campaign.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that Moscow is hopeful of better relations following Theresa May’s inauguration as Prime Minister.
The cheerful, extroverted Johnson has had some notable successes.
Johnson had been in the running to be the new prime minister after David Cameron’s resignation following the country’s vote to leave the European Union but dropped out of the race early on.
May won the leadership battle and quickly sacked Gove, who is now seen as treacherous by many Conservatives.
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Work and pensions minister Stephen Crabb, who had also sought the prime minister’s job, resigned citing family reasons, days after the married politician had hit the front pages for allegedly sending flirtatious WhatsApp messages to a young woman.
