TROUBLE IN PARADISE

Trump ‘Slammed Phone Down’ on Boris Johnson Over Huawei Deal, Says Report

British officials were reportedly “taken aback” by the level of Trump’s anger.

Since Boris Johnson became prime minister last year, he and President Donald Trump haven’t stopped lavishing praise on each other. But they’ve reportedly had their first tiff over Johnson’s decision to allow Chinese telecoms giant Huawei a role in Britain’s new 5G networks. The Financial Times reported Thursday that Trump expressed “apoplectic” fury with Johnson during a phone call last week, and the London Evening Standard added Friday that Trump slammed the phone down on him. The FT also reported that British officials were “taken aback” by Trump’s anger. Washington opposes Huawei’s role in the project on national-security grounds. Vice President Mike Pence said after the decision was taken that the Trump administration had made its disappointment “very clear,” but Trump’s personal animosity toward it was previously unknown.