Fact is often stranger than fiction, and the latest example of that adage emanates from across the pond.
Boris Johnson, the former British prime minister known as much for his antics as his wild hair, had a very curious response when approached with a rather far-fetched question.
According to The Spectator, when their team spotted Johnson in Washington, D.C., at a local watering hole, they approached him and “caught up with” Johnson.
One of the questions Johnson was asked about: Would he consider a move from the U.K. to the U.S. and pursue a potential presidency?
Johnson’s response?
“I don’t rule it out.”
As The Spectator noted, however, “It remains to be seen how possible — or serious — Johnson’s presidential aspirations are.”
That’s more than fair. Johnson left his previous post as prime minister with some seriously low approval ratings, after all.
Of note, The Spectator mentions that Johnson did not divulge whether he would run as a Democrat or a Republican, though the aforementioned watering hole he was found at — the Capitol Hill Club — is a “famous Republican haunt.”
Now, as is common knowledge, only American citizens can run for president. Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the Constitution clearly states: “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”
However, a little-known fact about Johnson is that he was actually born in New York. According to The Guardian, Johnson was born there as his parents worked there.
In fact, Johnson only renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2016 due to the IRS hounding him about paying sales tax on his home in north London, as the IRS can (and does) go after dual citizens.
By virtue of being a former citizen, Johnson can actually re-apply for citizenship, should he be serious about a presidential bid in the future.
Interestingly, according to The Spectator, Johnson was in the United States to push for more aid for Ukraine, of all things. Johnson has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine.
While the prospects of Johnson ever running a successful presidential campaign in America seems unlikely (at best), it does hearken back to another wild story — one of former President Donald Trump somehow becoming the British prime minister.
And while Trump appears to be firmly set on running for president, not prime minister or speaker, Johnson also seems poised for a comeback in his respective country.
The Spectator reports that “Johnson did little to dispel the notion that he’s still plotting a comeback, at the expense of his successor-but-one Rishi Sunak.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
