The rise of populist political leaders has spread from country to country following the stunning success of President Donald Trump on everything from the U.S. economy to trade deals and national security.
America’s allies “across the pond,” as they like to say in the United Kingdom, recently elevated iconic populist Boris Johnson to prime minister. The similarities between the newly-appointed British leader and Trump are unmistakable.
From confident bravado to policies that amount to “Britain First,” Johnson’s striking resemblance to all things Trump has everyday Brits ecstatic, rival world leaders furious, and the liberal media suffering yet another meltdown.
Prime Minister Johnson secured his leadership position within the Conservative Party by outpacing opponent Jeremy Hunt by a near-double margin of 92,153 to 46,656 votes. Much like President Trump, Johnson led a Britain First rallying cry that elevated him to the top spot by assuring voters he would break away from the EU bloc, “do or die,” by Oct. 31. Separating from the EU appears to be in the best interest of working Brits, and voters have already passed a Brexit referendum.
“I hope that the EU will be equally ready and that they will rethink their current refusal to make any changes to the Withdrawal Agreement. If they do not, we will, of course, have to leave — the U.K. — without an agreement,” Johnson reportedly said. “In the 98 days that remain to us, we must turbocharge our preparations to make sure that there is as little disruption as possible to our national life.”
Elitists politicians and liberals have impeded the lawfully mandated exit from the EU. Former Prime Minister Theresa May failed miserably to craft a palatable deal with EU officials or pass one in Parliament. Johnson criticized her administration as “three years of unfounded self-doubt.”
Johnson’s bold words indeed mirror campaign promises by President Trump to renegotiate NAFTA, and fight China’s unethical and illegal trade actions. The U.S. economy has since experienced a surge of growth and opportunity.
Rival nations have already begun ramping up rhetoric as Johnson’s administration plans to put its citizens’ interest first and deal harshly with global threats. Islamic extremists in Iran have already tried to smear Johnson.
The rogue nation’s Jaam-e Jam publication ran an image of Johnson casting a shadow of President Trump with the title, “Mimicking Trump.” The radical Etemaad’s ran a headline that said, “Elected by Hardliners.” Recent hostilities have led to Iran illegally seizing British oil tankers through military force. Johnson’s response is not expected to be as diplomatic or passive as outgoing P.M. May’s.
Anti-Conservative media outlets such a Britain’s The Guardian have already gone on the offensive. Misunderstanding the groundswell of populism around the world, the biased outlet ran what its staff believes is a hit-piece comparing Johnson and Trump.
“Both are loudmouthed man-children, with a history of adultery and other scandals, whose professional success is a combination of immense privilege, unscrupulous opportunism, and relentless self-promotion, all happily promoted by a complicit media environment. They share an ‘unorthodox’ approach to politics as well as a “tell it like it is” communication style — media euphemisms for reckless opportunism and a combination of homophobia, racism, and sexism,” The Guardian’s commentary states. “While Trump mainly lies about himself, from his richness to the size of his inauguration crowd, Johnson mostly lies about the European Union.”
If that false narrative doesn’t remind everyday Americans of outlets such as CNN and MSNBC, nothing does. The piece goes on to wax poetic about the pair’s lack of professionalism without noting the irony of this irresponsible personal attack by so-called “journalists.” As the saying goes, “physician, heal thy self.”
Andrew Gimson, author of the biographical work Boris: The Rise of Boris Johnson, reportedly says the parallels between the two leaders are unmistakable.
“Another connection is that they both gain from being despised by and from annoying a lot of smart, metropolitan people, and that really shows their supporters they must be doing something right. Annoying stuck-up, liberal hypocrites is a kind of revenge for them,” Gimson reportedly says. “They are anti-establishment disrupters, they shock the so-called grown-up people who think politics has to be done in a very solemn way, that you couldn’t ever announce anything in a tweet. Neither Boris nor Trump are dull.”
Apparently, it’s not just the iconic blond hair, imposing stature, and wealth of confidence. With Johnson leading the Brexit charge, Americans can anticipate a mutually lucrative bilateral agreement in the near future.
