Americans are watching Boris Johnson with a morbid interest

Donald Trump didn’t take long to congratulate Boris Johnson on his victory in today’s Tory leadership race. ‘He will be great!’ was Trump’s snap verdict on a man who he described at a rally this afternoon as a ‘really good man’.

It’s safe to say Boris has a fan, at least for the time being, in the White House. But what about the rest of America? Boris is, of course, a well-known commodity in Britain; you either think the guy is a brilliant political mastermind with a people’s touch or a dolt who should be nowhere near Downing Street. Across the pond, it’s a little different. In Washington, D.C., there is a sense of curiosity about the man with the floppy blonde hair and clownish humour who has prepared for the prime ministership all his life. Brexit aside, it is not often these days that political events in Britain dominate the US news agenda.