Does Donald Trump’s praise help or hinder Boris Johnson’s leadership chances?

Donald Trump‘s much-anticipated state visit is set to dominate the dying days of Theresa May’s government.

The trip, offered as a sweetener to the US president in Ms May’s early premiership, could now be a humiliating experience for the prime minister as Mr Trump looks to her potential successors.

Boris Johnson is seen as the frontrunner of the 12-strong race, which began in earnest when Ms May finally named her departure date last week.

Mr Trump’s admiration for Boris Johnson is well known. Indeed, it dominated the headlines on his trip to the UK last year after he gave an eve-of-visit interview to The Sun, where he claimed the ex-foreign secretary would be a “great prime minister”.

Standing beside a steely-eyed Ms May at Chequers, Mr Trump sheepishly distanced himself from his comments.

But once again, just days before his arrival, the president has lavished praise on Mr Johnson, saying he was “a friend of mine” and has “done a good job”.

He spoke approvingly of Nigel Farage, the Brexit Party leader, and Mr Johnson, both of whom he described as ”big powers”.

Asked if he supported them, Mr Trump said: “Well, I like them. They are friends of mine but I haven’t thought about supporting them.

“Maybe it’s not my business to support people, but I have a lot of respect for both of those men.”

His warm words come as little surprise as Mr Trump clearly admires Mr Johnson, whom he undoubtedly has more in common with than Ms May.

The president’s friendship could also prove useful to Mr Johnson.

The candidates need to woo Conservative members to win the leadership race, which will be determined by a grassroots run-off between the final two contenders.

Praise from Mr Trump might play badly with the wider public due to his divisive politics but Tory members will regard it more favourably.

The president’s comments are likely to play particularly well to Mr Johnson’s Eurosceptic base, as closer ties with the US are prized by Brexiteers who hope Britain has a brighter future outside of the EU.

Any Conservative prime minister would be sure to appreciate the support of the US when grappling with whatever demons Brexit unleashes next.