He might not say a single word about the
UK between now and US voting day on 5 November. But
Donald Trump will affect our own election, whenever it’s held. Over the next few months, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will be challenged to explain how they would deal with the presidential frontrunner and his policies. What would they do if he wins the
White House and pulls the US out of Nato? Or strikes a deal with
Vladimir Putin over Ukraine? At such a dangerous time, their answers could yet swing voters here. Even if our
election is held very late in the year and Mr Trump has already lost, our political battles will have been fought in his shadow. If he has been defeated but is again refusing to concede and there’s a risk of violence, we might go to the polls feeling very uncertain about the future. It’s all hypothetical. But it’s hyper important. Mr Trump’s former national security adviser,
John Bolton – who now loathes his former boss – has some advice for European leaders if the
Republican wins. They should try to “distract” him, Mr Bolton suggested in an interview with me for i . But might Mr Trump actively try to influence our election result? Mr Bolton believes that’s entirely possible – and the birthday video Mr Trump sent to Reform UK’s honourary president
Nigel Farage this week probably tells us who he would support . Mr Trump’s endorsement did
Boris Johnson no harm in 2019. Yet MPs wonder if his support could do more harm than good this time, even for a fellow outsider like Farage. We’ve got seven more months of this – so for now, just enjoy your weekend. @robhastings