Boris Johnson 'fired' from US election coverage after heated Channel 4 clash
by Catherine Addison-Swan, Matt Clemenson · ChronicleLiveBoris Johnson was "fired" from his spot on Channel 4's US election show following a fiery night that saw him clash multiple times with presenters.
The former Prime Minister appeared as a guest on the channel to provide commentary on the presidential race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. But when he failed to reappear after a commercial break, presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy told viewers that he had been "fired for banging on about his book".
It came after Johnson got into a heated debate with Emily Maitlis in a discussion of his links with Donald Trump, as the journalist attempted to press him on the former President's character. Fellow guest Stormy Daniels asked if he would be comfortable with the women in his life being alone with Trump, The Mirror reports.
Stormy questioned: "So if you're the Prime Minister and you and Donald Trump got into a disagreement, as people do with Donald Trump whether you're right or wrong. Would you have any fear for the ladies in your life? How do you feel about doxxing?"
Boris dodged the question, simply replying: "Nothing like that came up."
But Stormy persisted, asking: "You wouldn't be worried that that would happen to your daughters or sisters? "
But Johnson defended his interactions with the former US President, stating: "When you're talking to the US President, the relationship you have as the Prime Minister, is one of great formality and importance and of course you develop a friendship but actually and I can say this with all sincerity, in my time with him I never was treated with anything other than complete courteous and friendliness. Now you had a very different experience, but I can only talk about my experience."
However, his stance was challenged by Emily Maitlis who drew parallels between Johnson's behaviour as Prime Minister and Trump's conduct, blasting: "His disregard for institutions, his disregard for the rule of law, his denialism, which I think was mirrored in your response to the privileges committee, your response to the Parliamentary standards committee, your proroguing of Parliament, this is all Trump-like behaviour."
Boris let out a dismissive laugh and countered with a plug for his memoir, responding: "Well, there I obviously disagree profoundly, as I detail in the book Unleashed."
When Maitlis pushed further on the Trump comparison. Boris labelled her connection as "sloppy" and "dangerous", asserting: "Well no because I don't accept your analogy at all and I think it's very sloppy and dangerous to make analogies between the US and the UK in that kind of way."
The conversation later turned to Donald Trump's character, with Stormy asking Boris: "Do you have children? Would you leave your daughter alone with Donald Trump? "
"Well, I don't see why not," Johnson responded.
Krishnan queried: "So you would? " Boris insisted: "Yes I would. My experience with Donald Trump, I hear what you're saying, maybe I'm wrong, but he has been courteous, he has been polite."
Emily countered: "He denied an election that he lost. What does it matter if he's courteous if he can't accept the results of American democracy and the American voter? " Boris reiterated his criticism of Trump's actions, calling them a "terrible thing to do". He then clashed with Krishnan over the suggestion that he had modelled himself on Trump, dismissing it as "nonsense".
Krishnan shot back: "He called you British Trump, you must be looking at him and thinking, if he can come back given everything he's done, then so can you because nothing you've done is quite as bad as him."
The debate heated up when Boris insisted that he was no yes-man to Trump and slammed Krishnan's suggestion as "complete and utter tripe". Recalling a past run-in with the former US President, Boris said: "There was a time where he said something rather rude about safety in London and I was mayor of London for eight years and I took exception to that and I said that the only reason I wouldn't visit parts of New York is the risk of meeting Donald Trump and this was seven or eight years ago, what you've just said Krishnan is complete and utter tripe."
Boris went on to assert his independence, stating: "I haven't modelled myself on anybody, I speak as I find and what I am saying to you tonight is this thing could go either way and what matters above all is that the United States is strong and if Kamala gets it then I hope to gods sake that she does not sell out the Ukrainians and I hope that Donald Trump doesn't either."
Donald Trump has since declared victory in the race for the White House, with the former president expected to secure the 270 votes needed to be elected for a second term in office.
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