08 October 2020

Donald Trump: ‘Very thankful’ for Boris Johnson’s support during Covid recovery

08 October 2020

Donald Trump has publicly thanked Boris Johnson for his support as the US president recovers from coronavirus.

The American leader returned to the Oval Office for the first time since he was discharged from hospital on Monday and stayed out of sight, though he made his presence known on Twitter.

“Just spoke with Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom,” Mr Trump wrote.

“Very thankful for his friendship and support as I recovered from the China Virus. I am looking forward to working with him for many years to come, a great guy!”

Both leaders have received hospital treatment for Covid-19, with Mr Johnson admitted to intensive care after his condition worsened.

By comparison, Mr Trump spent three days at Walter Reed National Medical Centre before returning to the White House and downplaying the severity of the virus.

The two men appear to have enjoyed a closer relationship than Mr Trump did with the Prime Minister’s predecessor, Theresa May.

Last month the American leader tweeted a reference to a newspaper article saying Mr Johnson had praised Mr Trump while he was Foreign Secretary in 2017.

The Telegraph piece said Mr Johnson had told US diplomats that President Trump was living up to his campaign slogan to “make America great again”.

Mr Trump responded to the report by stating that he was “working great together” with the UK leader.

Along with a link to the article, President Trump tweeted: “Thank you Boris, working great together!”

The close relationship is at odds with another UK leader, Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has previously urged Mr Trump to “be more responsible” in his public messaging over coronavirus.

During a daily briefing on May 22, Ms Sturgeon said: “I say this not just as the leader of a government, I say this as a citizen – I would like to see the president of the United States, in his demeanour and public utterances around dealing with this virus, be just a little bit more responsible.”

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