Donald Trump has again waded into the Tory leadership contest, praising Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt but embarrassing their rival Michael Gove.
The US president used a Westminster press conference with Theresa May to stress that he thought Johnson and Hunt would do a “very good job” taking over as prime minister.
But in a bizarre moment he claimed he did not know Gove, despite the environment secretary interviewing him in 2017, and then asked Hunt if he thought his opponent would do a good job.
During his state visit Trump has already held a 20-minute phone call with Johnson, has invited Gove to a meeting, and has had plenty of face time with Hunt as he fulfils his duties as foreign secretary.
Hunt and Trump will also look for time for one-to-one talks.
Asked about the leadership race, the president told reporters at the Foreign Office: “I know Boris. I like him. I have liked him for a long time. I think he would do a very good job. I know Jeremy, I think he would do a very good job.” he said.
“I don’t know Michael - would he do a good job Jeremy?”
Earlier, Johnson turned down a meeting with the controversial tycoon in favour of a 20-minute phone conversation, while Gove has been invited to sit down with Trump on Tuesday, although his team insisted “nothing is fixed yet”.
Hunt meanwhile attended Downing Street talks with Trump alongside outgoing PM May.
But fourth leading candidate Dominic Raab was snubbed by the president.
The concept of a US president intervening in a domestic party leadership contest would have once been considered extraordinary.
But the spectacle was almost inevitable given Trump’s outspoken nature and May’s impending resignation rendering their bilateral talks in Downing Street somewhat irrelevant.
Before even arriving in the UK Trump endorsed Johnson to take over as PM.
But the leadership favourite turned down a meeting with the president in favour of appearing before a hustings hosted by the One Nation group of around 60 Tory MPs who could prove crucial in deciding the contest.
A source close to Johnson said: “Trump called Boris and offered a one-to-one meeting.
“The 20 minute call was friendly and productive.
“Boris thanked him but declined the invitation as he has to focus on the hustings event that was happening at the same time, which the president understood.
“He said he looked forward to catching up at a later date.”
Gove was one of the first UK politicians - after Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage - to meet Trump following his election as US president, interviewing him for the Times in January 2017.
A source close to Gove said: “He was asked by Trump’s team last night if he’d be free for a meeting with Trump today. But nothing fixed yet.”
But Raab’s team said he had received no contact from the US president’s team and did not plan to request a meeting.
Other leadership contenders, including Home Secretary Sajid Javid and former cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom, were also not on Trump’s agenda.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan warned Tory leadership hopefuls not to cosy up to the US president.
Speaking to HuffPost UK at City Hall, Khan said: “What I would say to anybody who wants to follow the advice given by Donald Trump to leave the EU without any deal whatsoever because Donald Trump is going to give them a great (trade) deal with the USA is just pause and think about that.
“Do we really expect president Donald Trump to do a deal that’s in the best interests of the UK rather than the USA?
“Do we really think it’s right for private American companies to run the National Health Service? “Or for us to abandon the safeguards in relation to, for example, chicken and meat to do a good deal with the USA?
“But also are we really comfortable doing a deal with a country whose leader has a habit of changing his mood and his mind from hour-to-hour let alone from day-to-day?”