At the Republican National Convention, former UK Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss faced stark humiliation and harsh criticism, revealing the depths of their political decline. Here’s the full story.
Pride Comes Before a Fall
If pride comes before a fall, perhaps it was inescapable that disgraced former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss would fall, and fall they have. However, few would have imagined the depths they have plunged after once, briefly, in Truss’s case, holding the highest office in the land.
Attending the RNC
Both former Prime Ministers attended the Republican National Convention in the United States, the gathering of the faithful who, now almost without exception, are following Donald Trump, hoping his possible reelection might revive their political fortunes.
Abortive Attempts
However, if they were looking for a possible political rebirth, it seems their attempts at the RNC have been abortive, at best.
Johnson’s Embarrassing Reception
Boris Johnson faced an embarrassing reception at the event. Photographs obtained by the Mirror show his speaking event was dismally attended, with Johnson talking to row upon row of empty chairs in a hotel ballroom.
Sparse Audience
The panel, where Johnson spoke alongside Kellyanne Conway, former White House adviser and current Fox News host, was supposed to discuss the UK and US elections. Despite the high-profile nature of the event and the significant number of attendees at the convention, only a few dozen people showed up to listen to Johnson’s remarks at the Pfister Hotel.
Truss’s Full Support for Trump
Similarly, Liz Truss, the UK’s shortest-serving Prime Minister who lost her seat in the recent general election, was at the RNC to give her full support to former President and convicted criminal Donald Trump in the upcoming US Presidential election.
Thatcher Comparisons
Following the failed attempt on Trump’s life, Truss compared him to past Conservative political heavyweights and told Sky News that Trump’s lucky escape from the Grim Reaper has “shown how strong President Trump is.”
Harking Back
She stated, “We’re here at the convention this week, President Trump is going to be speaking today and I think it’s reminiscent of what Mrs Thatcher did at the Brighton conference after the IRA tried to remove her.”
Americans Need Trump
She added, “I think that’s what Americans need now”.
Poisoned Chalice
However, considering Truss’s embarrassing political downfall, it’s not immediately clear if Trump would welcome the poisoned chalice of her endorsement. Additionally, her attempts to blame Joe Biden for the failed assassination attempt on Trump, suggesting Biden’s previous comments put Trump “in the bullseye,” did little to endear her to critics or audiences.
Truss’s Opinion Piece Backfires
Back home in Britain, Truss’s recent opinion piece for the Telegraph and her support of President Trump has gone down like lead balloons. In her article, Truss blamed the Conservatives’ recent electoral wipeout not on her crashing the economy but on the policies of her successor, Rishi Sunak.
Truss Denies Mini-Budget Issues
Seemingly still confident that her catastrophic mini-budget, which led to a run on the pound and preceded a domestic financial crisis, was not the cause of the massive problems which followed it, Truss wrote, “This abandonment of Conservative principles not only led to him getting no credit from the voters for cutting National Insurance but also led to an even larger general election defeat as he continued to trash my record and promote Labour’s false narrative that the global rise in mortgage rates was somehow my fault.”
Burns Labels Truss Delusional
In response to her article, former Tory minister Conor Burns labelled her “delusional,” adding, “I don’t think she’s actually well and I think those who are close to her are letting her down by not telling her the truth. She is preposterous. She is toxic. She needs to be quiet.”
Trump’s Dramatic Appearance
In stark contrast to Johnson and Truss, Donald Trump made a dramatic appearance at the RNC, marking his first public outing since an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania. Trump, sporting a bandage over his ear injured in the incident, was met with roaring cheers from his supporters.
Vance as Running Mate
Trump also used the convention to announce Senator JD Vance as his running mate, positioning Vance as the vice-presidential candidate. This announcement, however, sparked controversy in the UK due to Vance’s past comments suggesting that the UK is becoming an “Islamist country” under Labour’s leadership.
Contrasting Fortunes
The Republican National Convention highlighted the contrasting fortunes of its attendees. While Trump enjoyed a hero’s welcome, the attempts by former UK Prime Ministers Johnson and Truss to stay relevant on the international stage fell embarrassingly flat.
Future in Question
With Johnson speaking to a nearly empty room and Truss facing mounting criticism for her continuing self-aggrandisement in the face of harsh reality, it remains to be seen if either of the former Prime Ministers has a political future ahead of them or if they will be increasingly assigned to irrelevance.
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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Alexandros Michailidis.