What does Liz Truss’s book tell us about her American ambitions?

In Liz Truss' latest publication, a book, she harshly criticizes and ridicules Joe Biden, the president of the United States of America, who happens to be a close ally to her country. Truss accuses Biden of being hypocritical and ignorant when he stated that he disagreed with the policy that aimed to reduce taxes for the richest people in the society, which Truss had introduced as part of a mini-budget soon after becoming the Prime Minister in September 2022.

Truss expressed her surprise and disbelief at Biden's disregard for protocol when he made comments about domestic policy in the UK. She emphasized that the UK has always been a dedicated ally to the United States, no matter the circumstances.

The use of strong language between leaders from Britain and America, whether in positions of power or not, would typically be considered uncommon. However, Truss had some unresolved issues to address. At the moment Biden made his speech at a dessert shop in Portland, Oregon, Truss's financial plan had already led to worry among British pension funds, posed a risk to the crash of the UK economy, and had to be taken back - a humiliating defeat for any prime minister, let alone one who has only been in the role for a little over a month. Just six days afterward, Truss had no choice but to resign.

After eighteen months, Truss is still speaking out about what she believes went terribly awry. She asserts that the Biden administration, the European Union, and their global supporters were not interested in seeing a country showcase a different approach, as this would have undermined their position.

Maybe. Regardless, Biden remains the president while Truss is only a normal member of parliament representing a rural constituency in Norfolk. However, her publication of the book Ten Years to Save the West, as well as her establishment of Popular Conservatism, indicates her aspirations for the future.

Instead of following typical and calm activities like advocating for a specific cause or working towards peace in the Middle East, Truss desires to stay significant in the populist right on a worldwide scale, especially in the United States.

Truss' new book will be released in both the US and UK on Tuesday. Interestingly, the book will have different covers and subtitles depending on where it is being sold. The American edition features quotes from two conservative senators- Ted Cruz from Texas, and Mike Lee from Utah- both of whom are known for their criticism of President Biden. In contrast, the British edition's subtitle reads, "Lessons from the Only Conservative in the Room", while the American version boasts, "Leading the Revolution Against Globalism, Socialism, and the Liberal Establishment".

There's a great deal to fit in Truss's already busy schedule, including dropping off her two daughters at school and managing her responsibilities as a Norfolk MP. However, it's evident that she has a strong desire to establish a prominent position in the conservative American media, which has been obvious for quite some time.

During February, Truss made an appearance at the CPAC convention in Maryland. She gave a speech in front of a crowd of conservatives that Politico referred to as being confused. Later, Truss joined forces with Steve Bannon, who used to work for Donald Trump's campaign and advise the White House. Bannon is considered a prominent figure in the far-right community and his comments about the imprisoned far-right icon, Tommy Robinson, led to a lot of discussion about Truss.

Truss will be returning to Washington soon to promote her book at the Heritage Foundation. They are the organization responsible for Project 2025, a contentious proposal for a possible second term of the Trump administration.

Truss has a strong connection with Heritage organization. When she served as trade secretary, she made a speech there in 2015, despite objections from the British ambassador. Additionally, she received an award named after Margaret Thatcher from Heritage last year. Moreover, Kevin Roberts, who is the president of Heritage, promoted the US edition of Truss's book.

The foundation is located a few miles away from the White House, but it's unlikely that Truss will attempt to get in touch with Biden or his team. This may actually be a good thing. In another part of her book, she recounts an encounter with the president at the White House back in September 2021, during her time as foreign secretary under Boris Johnson.

According to Truss, our get-together in the Oval Office went on for approximately 90 minutes. She goes on to clarify that this wasn't an indication of any type of preference.

In reality, the reason behind this was mainly Biden's tendency to share long personal stories whenever a topic was brought up. He would often start with "Oh, that reminds me..." which would make his colleagues exchange meaningful glances. These anecdotes would last around ten minutes, after which he would proceed to a different subject.

The media often talks about Biden's age, which is 81, and whether or not he has the mental ability to be president. The White House is defending him against these criticisms. Truss, however, has a different story to tell. When she saw Biden at the Cop 26 climate conference in Glasgow later this year, he recognized her from their meeting at the White House. Even though they were both wearing masks, he remembered her striking blue eyes.

It's uncertain whether the audience should assume that Biden or Truss believed that face masks can also conceal one's eyes.

Truss has not completed her analysis. She has classified the president, along with ex-House speaker Nancy Pelosi, as American politicians who are not aiding in Northern Ireland matters. According to her, their involvement is predominantly biased towards one side, possibly influenced by the Irish embassy in Washington.

The blog narrates how during September 2022, the protagonist attended the United Nations general assembly in New York as the prime minister. She goes on to describe her encounter with Biden, who shared interesting anecdotes from his Democrat campaign trail. One such incident involved Biden falling over, but he proudly mentioned that he got up despite others thinking that he couldn't, given his age.

Truss states that she believes he will be running again in 2024. However, she had an embarrassing moment at the same event. She mistakenly called out "Hi, Dr. Biden!" to someone she thought was Joe Biden's wife. It turned out the person was Brigitte Macron, who is the wife of the president of France and has blonde hair.

"I hope she didn't catch what I said!" Truss pens.

In the blog post of Ten Years to Save the West, Truss has used the term "Democrat" to refer to the Democratic party, which is a significant choice. It's vital to note that Republicans have previously used this inaccurate term as political insult. Additionally, Truss or her US editors have had to modify or provide clarification for her language in other instances.

While discussing politics in the UK, Truss frequently finds the need to clarify or interpret certain terms and concepts for American readers. To illustrate this point, she mentions her dislike for National Insurance, which is essentially a tax deducted from one's income to fund state pensions, unemployment, and disability benefits. However, Truss describes it as a "social security entitlement" which may cause confusion for Americans, as the term "entitlement" can have negative connotations for those on the right side of the political spectrum in the US.

Up until the day her book was published, Truss avoided mentioning Donald Trump's name. However, she did express her desire for a Republican to be in the White House in 2025. Truss includes this sentiment in her book, but she does not hold back her praise for Trump. Although he is facing 88 criminal charges and has been penalized millions of dollars for tax fraud and defamation, including a rape allegation that a judge deemed "substantially true," Trump is now the presumed nominee for the GOP.

In this blog post, Truss admits that she was a big fan of The Apprentice TV show and found Donald Trump's catchphrases and business advice sassy. When Trump announced his entry into politics in 2015, Truss noticed that not only her colleagues in parliament but even elderly ladies in Swaffham (a town in her area) were highly impressed by this disruptive Republican candidate. She also mentions that there is a strong connection between supporting Trump and supporting Brexit, which is interesting because she initially campaigned against Brexit but then became a hardcore advocate, ultimately becoming the leader of her country.

During Trump's presidency, Truss recounts that she had to pursue Boris Johnson through a fire escape in New York to demand her presence in a meeting with the British and American leaders. Truss was then serving as the trade secretary and reported that during the meeting, Trump encouraged her as well as the US trade representative, Bob Lighthizer, to commence negotiations for a UK-US trade agreement. However, Johnson attempted to shift Trump's focus towards restoring the Iran nuclear agreement, to no avail.

Truss was unable to secure her trade deal and she believes that some individuals within Downing Street were purposely keeping a distance from Trump for political motives.

In free English, Truss stated that the UK media had an unfavorable attitude towards Trump, and left-leaning individuals in the Conservative party made sure to criticize him whenever possible. However, Truss believed that Trump was the leader of the free world and a crucial ally.

This perspective is very different from the way she criticizes Biden. Biden won the election against Trump by a large margin, but Trump continues to deny this fact. Truss hardly says anything about Trump's actions that led to the violent attack on Congress.

Truss has shared in her blog post that on January 6th, 2021, she spoke with Bob Lighthizer over the phone. They were discussing the removal of a US tariff on Scottish whisky. While they were talking, Lighthizer mentioned that there were many people carrying large American flags and heading towards Congress. He didn't know how significant that event would eventually become. Truss was at the Executive Office Building, located beside the White House, during this conversation.

Truss managed to successfully have the tariff on whisky lifted during the summer of 2021, following discussions with the newly elected Democratic administration.

Truss expressed that the priority of a trade deal with the United Kingdom was no longer valid with Joe Biden as the new president. She claims that the opportunity to have such an agreement with the US has been lost.