Boris Johnson: Britain’s Richard Nixon
The prime minister has a striking amount in common with America’s 37th president
THE MAN who this week fulfilled his lifelong dream of addressing the Conservative Party’s annual conference as prime minister is routinely compared to Donald Trump. They both have crazy hair. They were both born in New York. They both have the ability to send their supporters into paroxysms of delight. But a more intriguing comparison is with the original architect of the Republican Party’s populist turn, Richard Nixon.
This might sound far-fetched. In terms of personality, the two men could hardly be more different. Nixon was a pessimist who liked to brood alone with a bottle of whisky, whereas Mr Johnson is a gregarious optimist. Yet when it comes to their wider political personalities and strategies, the similarities are striking.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline "Richard Milhous Johnson"
Britain October 5th 2019
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- Prince Harry accuses the press of hounding Meghan as it did Diana
- Boris Johnson is not such a ladies’ man in electoral terms
- The threat to MPs from the public is greater than ever
- British and Italian guilds mark a centuries-old European trade
- Transgender rules for English schools face a backlash from women
- Everyone agrees the BBC should be impartial. But what does that mean?
- Boris Johnson: Britain’s Richard Nixon
From the October 5th 2019 edition
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