- President Donald Trump reportedly vented his fury with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson during an “apoplectic” phone call last week.
- The call was made after Johnson defied Trump by allowing the Chinese telecoms company Huawei to develop Britain’s 5G network.
- The Sun reported on Friday that Johnson had delayed his planned trip to the US.
- Johnson and senior members of his government have criticized Trump and his administration in recent weeks.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
President Donald Trump reportedly hung up on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson after what officials described as an “apoplectic” call last week.
Trump ended the call by “slamming the phone down,” a source told the Evening Standard.
The call, which one source described to the Financial Times as “very difficult,” came after Johnson defied Trump and gave the Chinese telecoms company Huawei the rights to develop the UK’s 5G network.
Trump’s fury was triggered by Johnson backing Huawei despite Trump and his allies’ threats that the United States would withdraw security cooperation with the UK if the deal went ahead.
Trump’s threats reportedly irritated the UK government, with Johnson frustrated at the president’s failure to suggest any alternatives to the deal.
Following the call, US Vice President Mike Pence said the Trump administration had made its disappointment in the UK “very clear.”
The official UK account of the call hinted at the disagreement, saying Johnson “underlined the importance of like-minded countries working together to diversify the market and break the dominance of a small number of companies.”
The Sun reported on Friday that Johnson had pushed back a planned trip to Washington to March, adding that it “may be pushed back still further.”
A representative for Johnson declined to comment on the call.
Johnson says Trump is ‘failing to lead’
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The prime minister and senior members of his administration have pointedly criticizedTrump in recent weeks.
On Monday, Johnson used his first major speech on foreign policy since the general election in December to launch a thinly veiled attack on Trump and his “protectionist” economic strategy.
“Free trade is being choked,” Johnson said, alluding to ongoing trade battles between Washington and China.
“And that is no fault of the people. That’s no fault of individual consumers. I am afraid it is the politicians who are failing to lead.”
In an apparent barb at Trump and his threats to launch a new trade war with Europe, Johnson added that “from Brussels to China to Washington, tariffs are being waved around like cudgels, even in debates on foreign policy where frankly they have no place.”
Read the original article on Business Insider: Trump slammed the phone down on Boris Johnson after an ‘apoplectic’ call with the prime minister
