London Mayor Boris Johnson, in a recent visit to New York City, downplayed his past sharp criticism of Hillary Clinton, referring to it merely as “lighthearted remarks.”
The flamboyant politician and former journalist with the “Three Stooges” haircut, Johnson met with Mrs. Clinton at the Clinton Foundation for about an hour during a six-day trade mission to the U.S. The official purpose of the visit was to promote collaboration “between London and the U.S. on life sciences, business, technology, policing and culture,” the Wall Street Journal noted .
Johnson was born in New York City, and to this point, holds dual citizenship — and pays taxes — in both countries. A few days ago, however, perhaps fed up with writing a six-figure check to the IRS for capital gains on the sale of his London home, Boris Johnson announced that he was giving up his American citizenship.
In a 2007 article in the London Telegraph , Johnson wrote of Hillary Clinton that “she’s got dyed blonde hair and pouty lips, and a steely blue stare, like a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital… she represents, on the face of it, everything I came into politics to oppose: not just a general desire to raise taxes and nationalize things, but an all-round purse-lipped political correctness.”
A member of the Conservative Party (aka Tories) in the U.K., Johnson, 50, is a candidate for the British parliament in the May 2015 general election. Win or lose, he also intends to finish out his second term as mayor, which concludes in May 2016. If incumbent Prime Minister David Cameron falters in the national election, Johnson is considered a leading candidate to become the new leader of the Tories, if not a future prime minister.
The conservatives appear to be leading in current opinion polls, but neither the Tories nor the leftist Labor Party are expected at this time to win a majority of seats in the House of Commons, which could give the populist UK Independence Party led by Nigel Farage a decisive role in the formation of a new government even in winning a modest number of parliamentary seats.
In his New York City visit, Johnson changed his tune about Clinton, a potential 20116 presidential candidate, describing the former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State as a “very distinguished politician.” He added that “Secretary Clinton was extremely kind and gracious and in so far as the subject came up she was said she was pleased by some aspects of the article,” the Guardian reported.
Late last month, London Mayor Boris Johnson claimed that based on spy agency profiling, terrorists typically suffer from low self-esteem because they are lonely, pornography-addicted losers who can’t get girlfriends.
[Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]