Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has paid warm tribute to Donald Trump’s communications style, saying that he has “penetrated corners of the global consciousness” that few previous US presidents have.
But it appeared that Mr Johnson’s own position had failed to make much of an impression on his American hosts, as he was identified by an on-screen banner on Fox News as “Former Mayor of London”.
During last year’s US presidential campaign, Mr Johnson accused Mr Trump of “stupefying ignorance” over his claims that parts of British cities were no-go zones, and said the main reason not to visit New York was to avoid bumping into the reality TV tycoon.
However, he was more complimentary in an interview with Fox News, saying: “I think you’ve got to realise that the American president is one of the huge great global brands.
“He is penetrating corners of the global consciousness that I think few other presidents have ever done.
“His method of tweeting early in the morning, no matter how rambunctious those tweets may be, they are communicating with people.
“Yes, a lot of people don’t like it, but a lot of people relate to it.
“And in an age when people have been turned off politics, it’s more direct and a lot more communicative than a lot of previous presidents have managed.”