Kemi Badenoch says Donald Trump “deserved to be thrashed” in the US elections and has denounced his “dirty” style of politics.
asserted
Trump → say → politics
In a sweeping attack on the American president’s record, she criticised him over the Iran war, for threatening Canada and Greenland, imposing swingeing tariffs and “squabbling with allies” including the UK.
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she → criticise → UK
Mr Trump’s heavy defeat in the US midterm elections was “entirely self-inflicted”, she told The Independent editor-in-chief Geordie Greig.
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she → inflict → Greig
Controversially, Ms Badenoch said she would have been equally content if Mr Trump had never won a second term in the White House and his Democrat opponent, left-winger Kamala Harris had become president in 2024 instead.
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opponent → say → 2024
In the wide-ranging exclusive interview for The Talk Show, Ms Badenoch also criticised Tory predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss for their “mistakes” in government.
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Badenoch → range → government
She said Andy Burnham was more “fun” than Keir Starmer, but behind the “charm” he was “dangerous”.
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he → say → charm
She called Nigel Farage’s Reform Party “bonkers” and ruled out serving in a Conservative-Reform coalition led by him.
But she conceded that before his dip in popularity, Mr Farage had made an “emotional connection” with voters that the Tories had lost until she became leader
Ms Badenoch’s outspoken condemnation of Mr Trump’s policies and personality may come as a surprise, especially to Tory supporters, some of whom urged her to copy him after he won power.
uncertain
he → call → power
Asked if he deserved to be thrashed, she did not hesitate: “Yeah.
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she → ask → ?
He has not been acting in the way that I would consider conservative.
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I → act → way
That’s not what conservatives do.
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conservatives → ’ → what
“Trump is very charming in person, but you see the way that he talks about journalists, about individuals.
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he → see → individuals
It doesn’t meet the standards a statesman should meet – always wanting to get dirty in terms of insults and so on.
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statesman → meet → insults
I didn’t like that at all.
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I → like → that
Mr Trump had won power “with an extraordinary coalition of Latinos, more Black voters than any other Republican” – and wasted it, she said.
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she → win → it
“What’s the first thing he does?
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he → ’ → ?
A lot of people were wondering, ‘What are you doing?’”
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you → wonder → What
She understood Mr Trump’s initial decision to go to war with Iran – which she had backed.
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she → understand → which
“We don’t want them getting nuclear weapons.
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them → want → weapons
But where’s the plan?”
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plan → ’ → ?
His defeat in the mid-term elections was “entirely self-inflicted”, she said.
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she → inflict → elections
“Voters want results.”
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Voters → want → results
Ms Badenoch claimed she would have been happy if Mr Trump had lost the last presidential election – and revealed a hitherto unknown admiration for fellow Black female politician Kamala Harris.
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Trump → claim → Harris
“People ask me who did I prefer, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump?
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I → ask → who
I would say I like them both equally.
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I → say → them
Make of that what you will.”
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you → make → what
While refusing to “name and blame” former Conservative PMs Mr Johnson and Ms Truss, she was fiercely critical of both their records in No 10.
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she → refuse → No
They were guilty of “gimmicks, mistakes and short-termism”, she said.
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she → say → gimmicks
“Everybody made mistakes.
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Everybody → make → mistakes
Did she mean Mr Johnson and the so-called “Boris wave” of immigration?
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she → mean → immigration
“People know who the prime minister was then,” she said, removing all doubt.
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she → know → doubt
Ms Truss got equally short shrift.
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Truss → get → shrift
Ms Badenoch savaged the disastrous budget that saw her kicked out of Downing Street after six weeks.
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her → savage → weeks
“You can’t just announce £150bn bailing out people’s energy bills and £45bn of tax cuts with no spending cuts at all,” she said disbelievingly.
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she → announce → cuts
“Those are the wrong way of doing things.”
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Those → do → things
Rather than condemn Mr Johnson and Ms Truss personally, Ms Badenoch, a Methodist, quoted St Augustine: “Hate the sin, love the sinner.”
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Badenoch → condemn → sinner
She deflected the notion that Mr Burnham’s “charm” had revived Labour fortunes since awkward Mr Starmer’s demise.
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charm → deflect → demise
Calling him a “foot in mouth” politician, she said: “He says things first and then thinks about it later.”
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He → call → it
I’m not sure I would call it charm.
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I → ’m → it
He looks like he’d be more fun company at a party, (but) that makes him more dangerous because he wants to please everybody.”
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he → look → everybody
With the latest polls indicating the Conservatives have narrowed the gap with Labour to two points, she insisted she had his measure, boasting: “The more Andy Burnham sees of me, the less he wants to have an early election.”
She is equally confident about seeing off the challenge from Mr Farage, whose ratings have fallen in the wake of a series of scandals to hit him and Reform.
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ratings → indicate → him
…and 32 more, not listed.
The Aporia
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