United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson was one of President Donald Trump's favorite people to take over for Theresa May when she resigned this summer. But Johnson also mocked the U.S. president and humiliated him on a global scale, said New York Magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi.
During a panel discussion on CNN Sunday, CNN's Ryan Lizza opened by saying that Johnson is in a tight spot as he's trying to negotiate Brexit while serving as an international leader to the G-7. Johnson also needs to negotiate a trade deal with Trump, but he clearly is going about it in the worst possible way.
"Even when you see Boris, who is a laughing stock in many ways, kind of condescending to the president and saying, 'Well, the U.S. economy is great,' there seems to be a bit of a wink when he said that before, bringing in his criticism," Nuzzi explained. "And I think that's tremendously humiliating for the U.S. on a global stage like that."
The host asked if it was a response to the increasing isolation the president is leading the U.S. into. At the same time, the G-7 threw a curveball to Trump by allowing Iran Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to make a surprise appearance. The U.S. is going at it alone on climate change, Iran and Russia.
"I think it underscores that's the effect of Donald Trump's actions, right?" Nuzzi said. "He has said previously that he tried to make the 'America First' slogan sound less frightening by saying 'America First does not mean America alone,' but in practice, we've seen the U.S. Is really isolated from the global community."
She also noted that it's almost like the White House simply transferred its disastrous policy arm overseas this week. There is a running joke that every time Trump wants to cover something up or distract from huge news, he launches "Infrastructure Week." Nuzzi said it's almost like they're having an "Infrastructure Week" overseas.
"I think his inexactitude is really causing a lot of problems," she explained. "You know, in America, we know how to interpret Donald Trump. We know when he says things, it's — it may sound like one thing in the moment, but it's probably not the case. He'll probably change it later on in the week or later on in the hour. We're learning -- seeing again, as we have in the past when he's taken trips like this that when he says things in the exact way or ways that are confusing, it can have realtime effects and confuse the global community and impact the conversation away -- that it doesn't here domestically."
Watch the full discussion below: