Politics President Trump's masterful, highly effective Foreign Policy

[MARIS61]

Uhhhhh hello....

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.th...obama-response-north-korea-nuclear-tests-deal

Exactly.

Just kicked the can down the road like his predecessors.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

Exactly.

Just kicked the can down the road like his predecessors.

But he told him to pound sand.....

 

[Sheldon Shape]

Wait, didn't Obama already do this with Iran?

 

[stampedehero]

Rocket Man has been brought to his knees, willing to discuss total nuclear disarmament of NK.

President Xi has now backed down and agreed to cut auto import tariffs.

The Eastern European Bloc leaders praised Trump's leadership in unison, with several considering joining NATO now that he is shaking it up and exposing the graft and bribery that made it weak.

It is now clear that one way or another, the wall will be built, manned and maintained.

Meanwhile, war-mongering leeches Britain, France and Germany have lost so much respect by mirroring the DNC in obstructing and criticizing Trump that the rest of Europe is now finding they have an equal voice in their futures for once.

In roughly one year he has reversed decades of lost respect and restored America as the leader of the free world.

>I did not perceive Britain, France and Germany as "war mongering". I always thought we were the self appointed number one world cop. The perfect example is our involvement in Syria.
Goofy Bush said "Your either with us or against us". His vampire father proclaimed "a new world order". Trump wants an upgraded nuke arsenal and the defense budget is astronomical. This country has the war fetish.

 

[MARIS61]

https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/us-china-agree-to-reduce-370b-trade-deficit

US, China agree to reduce $370B trade deficit
By Megan HenneyPublished May 19, 2018ChinaFOXBusiness

The United States and China agreed to take steps to significantly reduce the $370 billion trade deficit between the two economic powerhouses by having Beijing purchase more goods, according to a joint statement released by the two nations on Saturday.

“There was a consensus on taking effective measures to substantially reduce the United States trade deficit in goods with China,” the statement read. “To meet the growing consumption needs of the Chinese people and the need for high-quality economic development, China will significantly increase purchases of United States goods and services.”

According to the White House, the U.S. will increase its agriculture and energy exports to China and will send a team of negotiators to Beijing to work out the details. It was unclear how much the deficit would be reduced by.

President Trump has been insistent about reducing the trade deficit -- which the White House has blamed for the loss of millions of U.S. jobs -- between the two countries. But when U.S. officials met with officials in Beijing last week, no deal was reached in large part because China refused a demand to cut the trade deficit by $200 billion within the next two years.

The president met with China’s Vice Premier Liu He at the White House on Tuesday afternoon, according to Trump’s chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow, who said there was “great interest” in further the negotiations.

The delegations, which included Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, also discussed expanding trade in manufactured goods and services, as well as improving trade conditions in these areas.

Kudlow, a self-avowed free trade advocate, hinted earlier this week that conversations between the U.S. and China were moving in a direction that would eliminate trading barriers, like tariffs.

“Both sides agreed to encourage two-way investment and to strive to create a fair, level playing field for competition,” the statement read.

 

[MARIS61]

 

[MARIS61]

 

[riverman]

What you forget to mention is that America chose the rock

 

[SlyPokerDog]

What you forget to mention is that America chose the rock

 

[MARIS61]

What you forget to mention is that the deep state chose the rock

 

[Lanny]

Rocket Man has been brought to his knees, willing to discuss total nuclear disarmament of NK.

President Xi has now backed down and agreed to cut auto import tariffs.

The Eastern European Bloc leaders praised Trump's leadership in unison, with several considering joining NATO now that he is shaking it up and exposing the graft and bribery that made it weak.

It is now clear that one way or another, the wall will be built, manned and maintained.

Meanwhile, war-mongering leeches Britain, France and Germany have lost so much respect by mirroring the DNC in obstructing and criticizing Trump that the rest of Europe is now finding they have an equal voice in their futures for once.

In roughly one year he has reversed decades of lost respect and restored America as the leader of the free world.

Masterful, ha, ha, good one.

 

[MARIS61]

Hungary’s top diplomat praises Trump on NATO push, contrasts against Obama-era ‘lecturing’

By Adam Shaw | Fox News

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is welcomed by Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto in the ministry building in Budapest, Hungary, February 11, 2019. (Attila Kisbenedek/Pool via Reuters)

NEW YORK -- Hungary’s top diplomat, in an interview with Fox News, praised President Trump’s push for NATO partners to boost military spending -- and said the administration's treatment of Central European countries as allies represents a stark contrast from what he called the “lecturing” of the Obama years.

“Since the current administration has been in power, the relationship has totally changed and the relationship is based on mutual respect which used not to be the case,” Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told Fox News. “So before this administration took office, ‘lecturing’ was basically the right expression to describe our relationship.”

Szijjarto’s comments come just days after Hungary and the U.S. signed a new Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA). A State Department official told Fox News that the new agreement means the U.S. and Hungary will be “better positioned to meet and overcome current and future challenges that threaten stability in the region and beyond.”

Szijjarto hailed the agreement as a “clear signal” of the change that has come to the U.S.-Hungarian relationship since Trump entered the White House.

It is not difficult to see why the two countries have grown closer during the Trump administration. Both Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Trump have won elections running campaigns heavy on nationalism and tough on illegal immigration (Hungary has built two border fences since 2015) -- sometimes to anger from international bodies such as the United Nations and European Union. Hungary was one of the countries to join the U.S. in withdrawing from the U.N. global pact on migration last year.

Both Orban and Trump have been criticized for their immigration policies, while liberal groups in Hungary have alleged that the Orban government is eroding judicial independence and cracking down harshly on political opposition groups -- including passing a “Stop Soros” package of laws aimed at curbing the influence of Hungarian-American left-wing billionaire George Soros in the country.

Szijjarto indicated there are similarities between the opposition facing Trump and the Hungarian government.

“We understand the global liberal political elite and global liberal media hate your president, they hate what he has been doing, but they hate what we have been doing as well,” he said.

Szijjarto, who has met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo multiple times in the last year, pointed to an early visit to D.C. after he was appointed foreign minister in 2014 as an example of the "lecturing" relationship during the Obama administration. He said that on that visit, he was not greeted by Secretary of State John Kerry but by then-Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland, who he said confronted him with a list of domestic reforms.

“She basically threw a paper on the table when we had the negotiations ... where some instructions were written how we should change our constitution, how we should change our regulation regarding media, constitutional court, churches, so on and so forth and she told me if we could comply with these instructions or advices then it would be possible to speak about enhancing the bilateral political cooperation,” he said.

“I mean, this is a clear interference into domestic issues, telling another country what to decide,” he added.

But whatever happened at the meeting, there can be little doubt that the Trump administration’s approach to Hungary has been friendlier, something Szijjarto said has strengthened the U.S. alliance in the region.

“We are very happy that this administration looks at us Central Europeans as allies instead of lecturing us how to accommodate our life,” he said, calling it a “totally different approach” from the previous administration.

Szijjarto said Hungary has no issue with Trump’s push for nations to meet commitments to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense.

“We think that it was absolutely legitimate from his perspective to argue for nation’s commitments to be fulfilled as soon as possible,” he said, adding that Hungary had already met that commitment.

Trump’s aggressive stance with NATO allies, including reports that he has considered withdrawing from the alliance, has led to criticism he is weakening NATO.

But Szijjarto’s remarks echo those of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg who, in a speech to Congress this month, said that Trump’s push to increase defense spending made the alliance stronger.

“Allies must spend more on defense. This has been the clear message from President Trump,” Stoltenberg said. “And this message is having a real impact.”

Stoltenberg told lawmakers that European allies and Canada have spent an additional $41 billion in the last two years and that by the end of 2020, that figure will rise to $100 billion.

“That money will allow us to invest in new capabilities our armed forces need, including advanced fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, missile defense and surveillance drones,” he said. “This is good for Europe and it is good for America.”

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hu...to-push-contrasts-against-obama-era-lecturing

 

[The Professional Fan]

Also fox news

 

[Lanny]

Rocket Man has been brought to his knees, willing to discuss total nuclear disarmament of NK.

President Xi has now backed down and agreed to cut auto import tariffs.

The Eastern European Bloc leaders praised Trump's leadership in unison, with several considering joining NATO now that he is shaking it up and exposing the graft and bribery that made it weak.

It is now clear that one way or another, the wall will be built, manned and maintained.

Meanwhile, war-mongering leeches Britain, France and Germany have lost so much respect by mirroring the DNC in obstructing and criticizing Trump that the rest of Europe is now finding they have an equal voice in their futures for once.

In roughly one year he has reversed decades of lost respect and restored America as the leader of the free world.

Dust off that Nobel prize once again 'cause this time the summit will be successful. After all, we've got the best person in the world at negotiating deals.
Yep, we're going to be successful any day now.

 

[Lanny]

Russia is now hastily pulling their ships out of the area in fear America may sink them if they get in our way.

Respect.

LOL

 

[Lanny]

What does Obama have to do with it? I have made no assertions about Obama.

This from you:
"You should read the tweets. He said Obama told "when" he was attacking. Trump's second tweet did not say when."
I swear, I see the word 'Obama' in your post.

 

[tlongII]

This from you:
"You should read the tweets. He said Obama told "when" he was attacking. Trump's second tweet did not say when."
I swear, I see the word 'Obama' in your post.

You just proved my point.

 

[Lanny]

You just proved my point.

Are you not reading your own post? You said Obama which in my book means Obama.

 

[tlongII]

Are you not reading your own post? You said Obama which in my book means Obama.

It’s not me that’s not reading my post.

 

[Lanny]

It’s not me that’s not reading my post.

Okay, I misunderstood Obama to mean Obama. Why didn't you say so in the first place?

 

[tlongII]

Okay, I misunderstood Obama to mean Obama. Why didn't you say so in the first place?

I only repeated what Trump’s tweets said. I made no assertions regarding Obama personally.

 

[MARIS61]

Naming our enemies.

Trump Admin, Congress Ready to Designate Muslim Brotherhood a Terror Group
Trump views Brotherhood as a key national security threat



BY: Adam Kredo
May 1, 2019 12:20 pm

The Trump administration and its allies in Congress are working to finalize an effort to designate the international Muslim Brotherhood organization as a terrorist group, the culmination of a years-long effort to strangle the radical organization and choke off its resources, according to multiple U.S. officials who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon about the matter.

Senior Trump administration officials confirmed to the Free Beacon this week that President Donald Trump views the Muslim Brotherhood as a key national security threat and has ordered his White House to forward efforts aimed at designating the group as a terrorist organization, which critics of the Islamist group have been pushing for years.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), who has long pursued efforts to realize this designation, is already working on a series of legislative packages that would initiate an investigation into the Brotherhood's activities and its leadership. These pieces of legislation would set the stage for the Trump administration and Congress to formally designate the organization in the near future, sources said.

The designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group jibes with ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to crackdown on international terror supporters, including the Iranian regime and its proxy organizations such as Hezbollah. The administration recently took the unprecedented step of designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, as a terrorist outfit. Now, officials are turning their attention to the Brotherhood, sources confirmed.

"President Trump has always been clear that the safety of Americans is his top priority and he takes the threat of terrorism seriously, highlighted recently by his decision to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization—an unprecedented action exposing the Iranian regime's institutionalization and use of terror as a tool of statecraft," a senior administration official, speaking only on background, told the Free Beacon.

"The president has heard the concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood from our friends and allies in the Middle East, as well as here at home," the official said. "Any potential designation would go through a robust, deliberate, and inclusive interagency process."

To this end, Cruz is crafting legislation that will help the administration identify the Brotherhood's multiple networks, affiliates, and assets.

One piece of legislation, sources confirmed, would focus broadly on the Brotherhood's destabilizing activities and help identify which parties to sanction and designate. A second piece of legislation would act as a compliment and seek to identify destabilizing activities spearheaded by the Brotherhood overseas.

"Sen. Cruz believes that the Muslim Brotherhood maintains a global network of Islamists and Islamist groups, including terrorist groups," a spokesman for the senator told the Free Beacon. "His legislative push will include a range of reports and mandates that will ensure that American lawmakers and the American people have the information and authorities they need to respond and protect American national security."

These legislative efforts represent the culmination of several years of work by the Trump administration and its congressional allies to officially designate the Brotherhood as a terror group, which would have global ramifications for the Islamist organization and its allies in the region.

White House Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders confirmed in public remarks that the designation is working its way through appropriate internal channels.

"The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process," Sanders said.

One senior congressional official familiar with the effort told the Free Beacon that it will take some time for U.S. officials and the relevant investigatory bodies to provide a thorough accounting of the group's activities, members, and assets across the globe.

The Brotherhood, these sources explained, operates a series of separate networks in several countries.

"The Cruz idea is that the Muslim Brotherhood isn't the same everywhere so you can't just have a blanket solution," said the congressional official, speaking only on background about the legislative angle. "They have this line they pass around about a comprehensive approach instead of a one-size-fits-all approach."

"One of the bills essentially says that yes, sometimes what we're going to need is a terrorism designation," the source said. "Another one of the bills sets up helping allies that are being threatened. The overall approach is just different than what's been tried in the past."

 

[MARIS61]

Sen. Barrasso throws support behind Trump's handling of Iran, North Korea

By Talia Kaplan | Fox News

Sen. Barrasso throws support behind Trump's handling of Iran, North Korea

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, expressed his support for President Trump’s handling of Iran and North Korea on Thursday, saying, “The United States continues to be the most powerful, respected nation in the world and under Donald Trump we're going to continue that way.” 

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, expressed his support for President Trump’s handling of Iran and North Korea on Thursday, saying, “The United States continues to be the most powerful, respected nation in the world and under Donald Trump we're going to continue that way.”

Barrasso made the comment on “America’s Newsroom,” one day after the Pentagon released a new video showing four nuclear-capable B-52 bombers taking off for the Middle East as part of the Trump administration's effort to deter what officials call a "credible threat" from Iran.

Officials told Fox News the Cold War-era bombers, part of the 2nd Bomb Wing, departed Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana Tuesday enroute to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

The White House said it dispatched the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and the bombers to the Persian Gulf over what it described as a new threat from Iran.

Also on Wednesday, President Trump announced new sanctions targeting Iran's steel, aluminum, copper and iron sectors and vowed to continue a campaign of "maximum pressure" against Tehran until it stops supporting terror groups, ends destabilizing activities in the region, gives up any nuclear weapons efforts and ends development of ballistic missiles.

“The president is absolutely right,” Barrasso said Thursday. “Iran with a nuclear weapon would make the world less safe, less stable, less secure.”

“The Iran deal from the Obama administration was a bad deal. It was so bad it never even came to the U.S. Senate for approval and ratification. The president was right to withdraw and the president is right to add additional sanctions. He’s gone after oil so far and now has added steel, aluminum and other metals.”

Earlier Wednesday, Iran threatened to enrich its uranium stockpile closer to weapons-grade levels in 60 days if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for the 2015 nuclear deal. Trump pulled out of the deal a year ago, but the other nations involved -- China, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Russia -- stayed in.

“The deal was such a bad deal it did allow Iran the path to a nuclear weapon,” Barrasso said.

“I want to prevent Iran from ever getting a nuclear weapon. So whether they complied or not with a bad deal is immaterial, it didn't stop them from getting the path to the weapon.”

He added, “The president is right.”

NORTH KOREA FIRES 2 SHORT-RANGE MISSILES, 5 DAYS AFTER PREVIOUS LAUNCH; US TESTS LONG-RANGE MISSILE WITHIN 10 MINUTES

On “America’s Newsroom," Barrasso also reacted to North Korea firing two short-range missiles on Thursday, according to South Korean military, as the U.S. responded with an intercontinental ballistic missile test of its own just 10 minutes later.

“To me it seems like the leader of North Korea is frustrated by his inability to get a deal done with President Trump,” said Barrasso.

“President Trump as you know rightly walked away from a bad deal with North Korea on his last visit, which is what President Obama should have done with Iran last time. President Trump’s not going to take a bad deal. We want to eliminate all the nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula. I believe the president is on the right path.”

The launch, the second such move in less than a week, occurred about 4:30 p.m. local time from the North’s Sino-ri missile base, the South’s joint chiefs of staff said in a statement. The base is located about 130 miles north of the border with South Korea. The U.S. insisted the timing of its own test was entirely coincidental.

“We have power, we have potential to use it. The president often communicates our willingness to use power, prefers not to, but we have a capacity and a commitment if necessary,” Barrasso said, adding that under President Trump, the U.S. will continue to be the most powerful and respected nation in the world.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Sen. Barrasso throws support behind Trump's handling of Iran, North Korea

North Korea Launches New Missiles
The short-range missile launch is the second this week and further strains U.S.-led efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world-report/articles/2019-05-09/north-korea-launches-new-missiles

 

[Lanny]

Sen. Barrasso throws support behind Trump's handling of Iran, North Korea

By Talia Kaplan | Fox News

Sen. Barrasso throws support behind Trump's handling of Iran, North Korea

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, expressed his support for President Trump’s handling of Iran and North Korea on Thursday, saying, “The United States continues to be the most powerful, respected nation in the world and under Donald Trump we're going to continue that way.” 

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, expressed his support for President Trump’s handling of Iran and North Korea on Thursday, saying, “The United States continues to be the most powerful, respected nation in the world and under Donald Trump we're going to continue that way.”

Barrasso made the comment on “America’s Newsroom,” one day after the Pentagon released a new video showing four nuclear-capable B-52 bombers taking off for the Middle East as part of the Trump administration's effort to deter what officials call a "credible threat" from Iran.

Officials told Fox News the Cold War-era bombers, part of the 2nd Bomb Wing, departed Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana Tuesday enroute to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

The White House said it dispatched the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and the bombers to the Persian Gulf over what it described as a new threat from Iran.

Also on Wednesday, President Trump announced new sanctions targeting Iran's steel, aluminum, copper and iron sectors and vowed to continue a campaign of "maximum pressure" against Tehran until it stops supporting terror groups, ends destabilizing activities in the region, gives up any nuclear weapons efforts and ends development of ballistic missiles.

“The president is absolutely right,” Barrasso said Thursday. “Iran with a nuclear weapon would make the world less safe, less stable, less secure.”

“The Iran deal from the Obama administration was a bad deal. It was so bad it never even came to the U.S. Senate for approval and ratification. The president was right to withdraw and the president is right to add additional sanctions. He’s gone after oil so far and now has added steel, aluminum and other metals.”

Earlier Wednesday, Iran threatened to enrich its uranium stockpile closer to weapons-grade levels in 60 days if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for the 2015 nuclear deal. Trump pulled out of the deal a year ago, but the other nations involved -- China, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Russia -- stayed in.

“The deal was such a bad deal it did allow Iran the path to a nuclear weapon,” Barrasso said.

“I want to prevent Iran from ever getting a nuclear weapon. So whether they complied or not with a bad deal is immaterial, it didn't stop them from getting the path to the weapon.”

He added, “The president is right.”

NORTH KOREA FIRES 2 SHORT-RANGE MISSILES, 5 DAYS AFTER PREVIOUS LAUNCH; US TESTS LONG-RANGE MISSILE WITHIN 10 MINUTES

On “America’s Newsroom," Barrasso also reacted to North Korea firing two short-range missiles on Thursday, according to South Korean military, as the U.S. responded with an intercontinental ballistic missile test of its own just 10 minutes later.

“To me it seems like the leader of North Korea is frustrated by his inability to get a deal done with President Trump,” said Barrasso.

“President Trump as you know rightly walked away from a bad deal with North Korea on his last visit, which is what President Obama should have done with Iran last time. President Trump’s not going to take a bad deal. We want to eliminate all the nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula. I believe the president is on the right path.”

The launch, the second such move in less than a week, occurred about 4:30 p.m. local time from the North’s Sino-ri missile base, the South’s joint chiefs of staff said in a statement. The base is located about 130 miles north of the border with South Korea. The U.S. insisted the timing of its own test was entirely coincidental.

“We have power, we have potential to use it. The president often communicates our willingness to use power, prefers not to, but we have a capacity and a commitment if necessary,” Barrasso said, adding that under President Trump, the U.S. will continue to be the most powerful and respected nation in the world.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

What? A Republican from Wyoming, no less, who supports Trump? Wow
Where's my diary.

 

[Chris Craig]

Rocket Man has been brought to his knees, willing to discuss total nuclear disarmament of NK.

President Xi has now backed down and agreed to cut auto import tariffs.

The Eastern European Bloc leaders praised Trump's leadership in unison, with several considering joining NATO now that he is shaking it up and exposing the graft and bribery that made it weak.

It is now clear that one way or another, the wall will be built, manned and maintained.

Meanwhile, war-mongering leeches Britain, France and Germany have lost so much respect by mirroring the DNC in obstructing and criticizing Trump that the rest of Europe is now finding they have an equal voice in their futures for once.

In roughly one year he has reversed decades of lost respect and restored America as the leader of the free world.

Rocketman is back testing and firing rockets. Trumo is a joke to him, has been from the start.

China is not backing down. The trade war is not going away. The tariffs are going to get worse. American Farmers are pissed. Trump will not have their support next election.

European Leaders think Trump is a joke. An embarrasment. They do not respect him.

Yeah the wall will be built but people will climb over it/dig tunnels under it/go around it...it won't stop anything. Just a waste of money that could be used elsewhere.

So much for Trumps "highly effective foriegn policy"

 

[MarAzul]

Rocketman is back testing and firing rockets. Trumo is a joke to him, has been from the start.

China is not backing down. The trade war is not going away. The tariffs are going to get worse. American Farmers are pissed. Trump will not have their support next election.

European Leaders think Trump is a joke. An embarrasment. They do not respect him.

Yeah the wall will be built but people will climb over it/dig tunnels under it/go around it...it won't stop anything. Just a waste of money that could be used elsewhere.

So much for Trumps "highly effective foriegn policy"

Did you ever look into what it takes to get that negative vibe re-tuned?
Well no matter, I only made this post to complete a dominate appearance on the board.

 

[Chris Craig]

Did you ever look into what it takes to get that negative vibe re-tuned?
Well no matter, I only made this post to complete a dominate appearance on the board.

Dominate appearance?

 

[MARIS61]

Relations getting better with Britain soon.

As Theresa May steps down, pro-Trump Brexiteer Boris Johnson is favorite to succeed her

By Adam Shaw | Fox News
With Prime Minister Theresa May’s announcement Friday that she is stepping down from 10 Downing Street, the race to succeed her is heating up -- and the boisterous, pro-Trump former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is the favorite to lead Britain.

May announced that she will stand down on June 7, and a leadership election to head the Conservative Party will formally begin days later, with whoever wins becoming prime minister as well. That leadership battle will be fought almost exclusively on one issue alone -- Brexit.

May succeeded former Prime Minister David Cameron, who announced his resignation the day after the 2016 Brexit vote in part because he campaigned for Britain to remain in the E.U. But May too voted to “Remain,” leading to fears from Brexiteers that she was not the right person to step in and craft Britain’s departure from the bloc. That prediction appeared prescient when her withdrawal agreement was voted down multiple times by Parliament and has led to Brexit being delayed until the end of October.

"I believe it was right to persevere even when the odds against success seemed high. But it is now clear to me that it is in the best interests of the country for a new prime minister to lead that effort," she said Friday.

It means that this time, it could be the turn of the Brexiteers to take charge and see what they can do to break the Brexit impasse. With the newly formed Brexit Party likely to be the runaway winners of Thursday’s European elections, sending the Conservatives into fourth or even fifth place, Tories picking their next leader are likely to be concerned about hemorrhaging voters if they don’t elect someone sufficiently pro-Brexit.

It is perhaps partly for this reason that Johnson, who played a central role in the 2016 “Leave” campaign and resigned as foreign secretary last year over May’s handling of Brexit, is currently the bookmakers' favorite to be the next PM.

"It is as though we are sending our vanguard into battle with the white flags fluttering above them," he wrote of May’s handling of Brexit in a searing resignation letter last year. In private, he reportedly called her plan a “turd.”

BORIS JOHNSON SUGGESTS TRUMP HANDLE BREXIT TALKS: 'HE'D GO IN BLOODY HARD'

The humorous and sometimes buffoonish Johnson has been in the public eye for decades, from his time as a journalist for The Daily Telegraph, to his appearances on comedy panel show “Have I Got News For You,” his two terms as London mayor, and of course his time as an MP and foreign secretary. He has also been dogged by allegations of infidelity, which are believed to have contributed to Johnson and his wife announcing last year that they are divorcing.

But it is not just the roles he has held, but how he has handled those roles that have resulted in him being Britain's best-known politician, and referred to by many Brits simply as “Boris” in a way that perhaps only Margaret Thatcher (who was known simply as “Maggie” by supporters and opponents alike) matched as a politician.

Politician Boris Johnson leaves his home, on the day of the European Parliament elections, in London, Thursday May 23, 2019. (PA via AP)

But unlike the Iron Lady, Johnson's career has been marked by gaffes, controversies, and a sheer flamboyance that makes him stand out among Britain’s otherwise on-message, sometimes bland parliamentarians.

“BoJo” has been left stuck dangling in the air on a zip line waving British flags (“This is great fun, but it needs to go faster,” he said as he brandished two Union Jack flags), he has rugby-tackled a small child and is known for his outrageous remarks (He once described former Prime Minister Tony Blair as “a mixture of Harry Houdini and a greased piglet”) -- although those remarks have frequently got him into hot water.

He came under fierce criticism last year for a Daily Telegraph column in which he defended Muslim women’s right to cover their faces, but said that such women look like “letter boxes” and bank robbers. His refusal to apologize sparked a national debate on the question of burqas and niqabs, and polls indicated his harder stance may have been more in tune with the majority of Brits.

His various controversies and fiery remarks may have once ruled him out of office. But amid a rise of outspoken populists in the West and a distrust of traditional politicians that saw Donald Trump elected U.S. president, those characteristics could in fact be Johnson’s biggest strength.

A Prime Minister Boris Johnson would also be greeted warmly by the White House. Johnson, who was born in New York, said last year that he is “increasingly admiring” of the U.S. president and that he is more convinced that "there is method in his madness." He then asked his audience to imagine the billionaire handling the Brexit negotiations.

“Imagine Trump doing Brexit,” Johnson said in remarks leaked to BuzzFeed News. “He’d go in bloody hard… There’d be all sorts of breakdowns, all sorts of chaos. Everyone would think he’d gone mad. But actually you might get somewhere. It’s a very, very good thought.”

He also ripped into Sadiq Khan, his successor as the Mayor of London, for telling Trump he was not welcome in the nation’s capital.

“We will not allow US-UK relations to be endangered by some puffed up pompous popinjay in City Hall,” he tweeted.

His remarks clearly endeared him to Trump, who said last year that Johnson “would make a great prime minister.”

“I have a lot of respect for Boris. He obviously likes me, and says very good things about me,” he told The Sun. “I was very saddened to see he was leaving government and I hope he goes back in at some point.”

“I think he is a great representative for your country,” he said.

Johnson has been a leading proponent of a “harder” Brexit. As other politicians present the acceptable options as either departure with some sort of deal with Brussels or a second referendum, Johnson has not ruled out a “no deal” exit, whereby Britain would revert to Word Trade Organization (WTO) trading terms with the E.U.

“The job of our next leader in the UK, he or she, is to get out of the EU properly and put Brexit to bed,” Johnson said Friday, according to Reuters.

“We will leave the E.U. on October 31, deal or no deal,” he said.

Johnson’s bid is by no mean certain. His hardline views on Brexit could also lead moderates and pro-Remain Tories to unite behind a softer candidate as part of an anti-Boris coalition.

He was seen as a favorite in the 2016 leadership but declared he would not run after ally Michael Gove decided to run as well -- leaving the path clear for May.

He will also face a considerable roster of challengers that already includes Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Other challenges could include Home Secretary Savid Javid, former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, former House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom and Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt.

 

[MARIS61]

Reminding the free world who freed them, who has guarded their freedom, and whose example they should strive to follow if they value their freedom.

Reminding the world's tyrants and oppressive ideologies who will destroy them.