Media, Law & Policy

Boris Johnson = Donald Trump? Not Really

Wednesday, July 24, 2019, By Ellen Mbuqe

Now that Boris Johnson has been elected the leader of the Conservative Party and the new prime minister of the United Kingdom, Glyn Morgan, associate professor of professor science at the Maxwell School, offered some reactions on how Prime Minister Boris Johnson compares to President Donald Trump. The two leaders are often compared to one another, but Prof. Morgan said the two men are actually very different.

To arrange an interview with Prof. Morgan, please contact Ellen James Mbuqe at ejmbuqe@syr.edu or 315.443.1897.

From Prof. Morgan:
“The American press is full of stories about the similarities between Donald Trump and Boris Johnson. In many ways, these stories are unfair to our President. Trump believes in something: he is at heart a white ethnic nationalist, eager to stem the immigrant tide, and remake America as an ally-free great power. He dislikes multilateral attachments and wants to tariff rival economies into penury. He has sought office in large part to execute this benighted program.
Johnson, in contrast, believes in nothing. He has no political philosophy. He has no program he wishes to execute. He seeks power only for the greater glory of himself. He takes nothing seriously, other than the advancement of his own career. Some have taken some of Johnson’s random racist remarks as signs of “Bannonism.” I doubt, however, that Johnson cares much about a white anti-immigrant agenda. Johnson simply doesn’t care about anything other than himself.

However, President Trump is an enthusiastic bigot, who possesses an Archie Bunker-like anger about things he sees on Fox News. Johnson’s anger arises only when he is challenged or obstructed. They are two very different brands of leaders from hell. Johnson occupies a much more precarious position than Trump. The Tories barely have a majority in Parliament and half a dozen of them have said they wouldn’t support him. Johnson could well be out of office by November. That is why I think he will call an election soon. He needs a bigger parliamentary majority. Will he get one? Who knows. The British party system has broken down and four different parties all have roughly equal support in the polls.”