Boris Johnson refuses to say Donald Trump’s name after 48 hours treading a fine line at Nato summit PM was anxious not to be tied too closely to the US President, but also anxious not to turn Britain’s most powerful ally against him

At the closing press conference of the Nato summit in Watford, Boris Johnson was asked eight times to comment on his relationship with Donald Trump.

Not only did the Prime Minister fail to reply to any of the questions – he wouldn’t even say the word “Trump” once during the 21-minute conference. But nor did he say much that might alienate the US President, apart from a vow to push on with a tax on tech firms which the American administration hates.

The performance came after Mr Johnson spent 48 hours treading a fine line, keen not to find himself too closely linked to Mr Trump ahead of next week’s general election but also anxious not to turn Britain’s most powerful ally against him.

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He spent just 10 minutes in one-on-one talks with the President, hosting him in one of 10 Downing Street’s state drawing rooms after a reception with all 29 Nato leaders on Tuesday night. And Mr Trump had clearly agreed not to weigh in on the UK election amid attempts by Labour to tar the Conservatives by association with the President.

Dodging the question

At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon at the Grove Hotel in Watford, reporters asked Mr Johnson eight separate questions about Mr Trump. The Prime Minister repeatedly refused to mention the President’s name or even allude to him directly in his reply.

Asked if Mr Trump is “good for the West and good for Britain”, the Tory leader said: “I certainly think that the United States is a massive contributor to Nato, has been for 70 years a pillar of stability for our collective security.”

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He flatly refused to engage with a question on whether he believes the President’s claims not to know Prince Andrew, and twice insisted not to know what journalists meant when they asked him about the clip of him apparently mocking the President alongside Justin Trudeau and Emmanuel Macron.

Mr Johnson, whose aides admitted they were pleased that Mr Trump had mostly stayed out of the election debate, will be relieved that rather than holding his own final press conference the President chose to leave early and catch a flight home to Washington. Labour bosses were hoping for a gaffe by Mr Trump which could undermine the Conservative campaign just a week ahead of the general election.